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Transcript
interview withAutodeskrsquos Role in the Production of Avatar ndash Interview with Marc PetitEd Werzyn amp Psd Team 14
beauty retouchExtreme RetouchingYlenia Peronti 18
Is it Magic-No it is PhotoshopCarla Cabras 24
How to Retouch Your PictureMichael Ziemak 28
picture restoringRestoring The PastFabiano Uesler 34
typographyWhite Had TypeAndrew Hall 38
creative classFor the Heart of TownAlex Eckman-Lawn 42
Repeating PatternZena Santos 46
Tree HouseKatrina Gonzales 52
photomanipulationMystic HarborClaudia McKinney 56
How to Create Neytiri PortraitLina Eriksson 4In this tutorial you will see a fast and efficient way of using the airbrushes when you paint You get a smooth effect straight away instead of using several steps with liquid brushes to smooth your paintings Using a lot of layers gives us greater control and when setting layers to multiply it helps with using the same colours but in darker tintsc
on
te
nt
iss
ue
02
2
01
0
Secret PlaceAleksandra Gładykowska 62
digital paintingMasqueradeAlena Lazareva 68
Waters of TimeTravis Wright 72
Tools of the Trade-PaintbrushRasha Al-Najjar 76
self exposureA Siren is BornAmanda K Barnes 80
Night DriverJomar Machado 87
product reviewXara 90
I have a great news for you Since the first issue of PSD Photoshop received very
possitive feedback from all of you we have decided to give it a shot and go with monthly magazine This way you will get a chance to learn all Photoshop techniques each month Now few words on what we have prepared for
you in March As always to satisfy all of you we have tutorials on photomanipulation photo restoring photo retouch digital painting and typography There are a few new authors on the board showing off their great artwork and sharing their tips amp tricks with you Thank you all for joining our Team I appreciate your support Since the new door have been open and it feels like new Avatar era just begun I invited Marc Petit from Autodesk to talk about their role in the production of Avatar movie You will get a chance to get a sneak pick from behind the scene of this amazing production Enjoy your reading then and keep the emails coming in I love to hear from you
Thank you for your support
Marta Kobus
Editor in Chief
medium | 2-3 h corel painter IX | wacom tablet
In this tutorial you will see a fast and efficient way of using the airbrushes when you paint You get a smooth effect straight away instead of using several steps with liquid brushes to smooth your paintings Using alot of layers gives us greater control and when setting layers to multiply it helps with using the same colours but in darker tints
How to Create Neytiri portrait using Corel Painter IX
cover artist
6 psd Photoshop
Step 1I start with two layers One with a background colour and one with the sketch on it I work with alot of layers and if youre not exactly sure of what you are doing you should too I used the digital airbrush at all time when painting this but with diffrent opacitys depending on what I was doing You can have a greater value on the opactiy when it comes to hair and details but when shadowing I like to have it around 12-25 So now that I have my sketch its time to start with the fun stuff - Colouring
01
02
03
Step 2I start with a base colour Some type of blue I put this layer underneath the sketch layer so I can see it at all times
Step 3I go straight for the eyes and put some sort of orangy base colour on them Then I start to work with the shadowing on them and go darker and darker until Im satisfied I put they layers for the mouth and eyes on top of the layer with the sketch on it
neytiri portrait
7psd Photoshop
Step 4Added some more shadowing to the eyes and also some highlights They are the key to getting a lifelike eye Shes also got some eyelashes
04
05
06
Step 5When I feel pleased with the eyes I move on to the lips and apply the same technique A base colour and some basic shading Think big first and then move onto the details
Step 6More colour on the lips and some highlights I use white to accent the creases on the lips
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 2-3 h corel painter IX | wacom tablet
In this tutorial you will see a fast and efficient way of using the airbrushes when you paint You get a smooth effect straight away instead of using several steps with liquid brushes to smooth your paintings Using alot of layers gives us greater control and when setting layers to multiply it helps with using the same colours but in darker tints
How to Create Neytiri portrait using Corel Painter IX
cover artist
6 psd Photoshop
Step 1I start with two layers One with a background colour and one with the sketch on it I work with alot of layers and if youre not exactly sure of what you are doing you should too I used the digital airbrush at all time when painting this but with diffrent opacitys depending on what I was doing You can have a greater value on the opactiy when it comes to hair and details but when shadowing I like to have it around 12-25 So now that I have my sketch its time to start with the fun stuff - Colouring
01
02
03
Step 2I start with a base colour Some type of blue I put this layer underneath the sketch layer so I can see it at all times
Step 3I go straight for the eyes and put some sort of orangy base colour on them Then I start to work with the shadowing on them and go darker and darker until Im satisfied I put they layers for the mouth and eyes on top of the layer with the sketch on it
neytiri portrait
7psd Photoshop
Step 4Added some more shadowing to the eyes and also some highlights They are the key to getting a lifelike eye Shes also got some eyelashes
04
05
06
Step 5When I feel pleased with the eyes I move on to the lips and apply the same technique A base colour and some basic shading Think big first and then move onto the details
Step 6More colour on the lips and some highlights I use white to accent the creases on the lips
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
In this tutorial you will see a fast and efficient way of using the airbrushes when you paint You get a smooth effect straight away instead of using several steps with liquid brushes to smooth your paintings Using alot of layers gives us greater control and when setting layers to multiply it helps with using the same colours but in darker tints
How to Create Neytiri portrait using Corel Painter IX
cover artist
6 psd Photoshop
Step 1I start with two layers One with a background colour and one with the sketch on it I work with alot of layers and if youre not exactly sure of what you are doing you should too I used the digital airbrush at all time when painting this but with diffrent opacitys depending on what I was doing You can have a greater value on the opactiy when it comes to hair and details but when shadowing I like to have it around 12-25 So now that I have my sketch its time to start with the fun stuff - Colouring
01
02
03
Step 2I start with a base colour Some type of blue I put this layer underneath the sketch layer so I can see it at all times
Step 3I go straight for the eyes and put some sort of orangy base colour on them Then I start to work with the shadowing on them and go darker and darker until Im satisfied I put they layers for the mouth and eyes on top of the layer with the sketch on it
neytiri portrait
7psd Photoshop
Step 4Added some more shadowing to the eyes and also some highlights They are the key to getting a lifelike eye Shes also got some eyelashes
04
05
06
Step 5When I feel pleased with the eyes I move on to the lips and apply the same technique A base colour and some basic shading Think big first and then move onto the details
Step 6More colour on the lips and some highlights I use white to accent the creases on the lips
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
cover artist
6 psd Photoshop
Step 1I start with two layers One with a background colour and one with the sketch on it I work with alot of layers and if youre not exactly sure of what you are doing you should too I used the digital airbrush at all time when painting this but with diffrent opacitys depending on what I was doing You can have a greater value on the opactiy when it comes to hair and details but when shadowing I like to have it around 12-25 So now that I have my sketch its time to start with the fun stuff - Colouring
01
02
03
Step 2I start with a base colour Some type of blue I put this layer underneath the sketch layer so I can see it at all times
Step 3I go straight for the eyes and put some sort of orangy base colour on them Then I start to work with the shadowing on them and go darker and darker until Im satisfied I put they layers for the mouth and eyes on top of the layer with the sketch on it
neytiri portrait
7psd Photoshop
Step 4Added some more shadowing to the eyes and also some highlights They are the key to getting a lifelike eye Shes also got some eyelashes
04
05
06
Step 5When I feel pleased with the eyes I move on to the lips and apply the same technique A base colour and some basic shading Think big first and then move onto the details
Step 6More colour on the lips and some highlights I use white to accent the creases on the lips
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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wwwpsdmagorg
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Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
neytiri portrait
7psd Photoshop
Step 4Added some more shadowing to the eyes and also some highlights They are the key to getting a lifelike eye Shes also got some eyelashes
04
05
06
Step 5When I feel pleased with the eyes I move on to the lips and apply the same technique A base colour and some basic shading Think big first and then move onto the details
Step 6More colour on the lips and some highlights I use white to accent the creases on the lips
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
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Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
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05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
cover artist
8 psd Photoshop
Step 7Paint the face marking thingies with a deeper blue They dont look awesome right now but theyll look better with some shading on them
07
08
09
Step 8Now start shading Think big and get into the smaller details later It may look like crap for a while but dont get discouraged It will be better I put the shading layers on top of the layer with the blue base colour Since the layers for the mouth and eyes are on top of these we can do whatever we want with the shading and it still wont affect them
Step 9Add some basic highlights
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
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Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
neytiri portrait
9psd Photoshop
Step 10I add some turqoise colouring to the half of her face to represent the lightwrap on her from the forest and I also add more and darker shadows A good way to shadow is to have a skin colour (in this case blue) and then create another layer and set it to multiply Then you get a darker version of the colour you are using and you dont have to trouble with getting wrong tints of colour Lower the opacity on the new shadow layer if you think the colour gets too strong
10
11
12
Step 11Now I just add more and more shadows and highlights Moving into the details
Step 12I work with lighter shades of the colours I already have to create a shiny feeling
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
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picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
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typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
cover artist
10 psd Photoshop
Step 13When I feel finished with the shading I add the little sparklies I just go loose with some light green and light blue
13
14
15
Step 14I use black as a base colour for the hair And no I could not motivate myself into doing all the itsy bitsy braids so she got a hairstyle worn in some other scenes in the movie I also shade her neck
Step 15Add some highlights and create strands of hair The strands colour depends on the colour of the lighting in the image
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
neytiri portrait
11psd Photoshop
Step 16Some more details on the hair
16
17
18
Step 17Now I turn off the layer with the sketch on it since I dont need it anymore Remember the first layer that was the gray background I replace it with a colour that fits my Avatar forest better I am now working on layers beneath the layers of Neytiri
Step 18Use a big brush and go nuts with colours The background does not need to be perfect since its not in focus
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
cover artist
12 psd Photoshop
Step 19Final result of the background
by Lina Eriksson
19
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
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02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
Autodesks role in the production of AvatarInterview with Marc Petit Senior Vice President Autodesk Media amp Entertainment
Marc Petit leads Autodesk Media amp Entertainment as Senior Vice President In this role he guides the development and marketing of Autodeskrsquos digital entertainment creation products including Autodeskreg Flamereg Smokereg FlareTM Lustrereg 3ds Maxreg Mayareg MotionBuilderreg Softimagereg Mudboxreg and FBXreg software and technology A native of France Petit was studying to be a telecom engineer at Institut National des Teacuteleacutecommunications in Paris when a trip to a tradeshow in 1986 introduced him to creative computing For the first time Petit witnessed the creation of pictures and graphics with computers and found it far more interesting than anything related to telecom After earning his graduate engineering degree he joined 3D software pioneer Thomson Digital Image (TDI) in 1987 entering the field of computer graphics virtually at its inception Petit spent much of 1988 working on one of the first computer-generated movies ever made ldquoParis 1789rdquo is a 10-minute visualization of Paris and the events of the French Revolution Returning to TDI as a product manager Petit soon developed a worldwide reputation for innovation within the media and entertainment industry At the 1991 SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference Petitrsquos reputation got him noticed by Softimage then a fledgling
company based in Montreal Canada After helping Softimage reach critical mass in Europe Petit moved to Montreal in 1996 to serve as Vice President of 3D Products at Softimage which had become a division of Microsoft In 2000 Petitrsquos curiosity about new forms of internet media saw him migrate to another industry serving as Vice President of Operations for Aptilon Health a company specialized in online interactive marketing However the creative energy of media and entertainment prompted him to join Autodeskrsquos Discreet division in 2002 Although Petit believes that Autodesk Media amp Entertainmentrsquos greatest achievements are yet to be realized and he is confident that the companyrsquos commitment to the industry and its customers will bring about greater innovation Autodesk is committed and stable We are single-mindedly focused on bringing our users tools that allow them to fully express their creativity he says That is something to be proud of
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
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Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
interview
14 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
15psd Photoshop
What was Autodesks role in the production of Avatar Which Autodesk components were used in making the film What software was used
Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software were core technology in the creation of Avatar They enabled James Cameron to direct computer-generated and live actors in real time in digital environments This had never been done before Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment team pioneered this new method of virtual moviemaking
MotionBuilder is performance capture and character animation software Using MotionBuilder performances by Avatarrsquos live actors were applied onto pre-built digital characters and viewed in real time by both the director and the actors ndash allowing true interactivity between the virtual and real world The digital characters were viewable in-context in Avatarrsquos digital environments which were pre-built with MotionBuilder and Maya These pre-built assets were low-resolution versions of the characters and setsenvironments
Maya is 3D visual effects modeling animation and rendering software In addition to being used on-set for Avatar Maya was subsequently used for the high-resolution beautifully lit final scene creation and finishing
As well Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting software was used for asset creation Autodesk 3ds Max to create animations for the filmrsquos Bio Lab and Ops Center - the bustling hub for military operations and one of the key environments in the film Autodesk Flame for visual effects and compositing and Autodesk Softimage for modeling
How many people were dedicated to the production
A lot of peoplehellip Herersquos a link to the filmrsquos credits httpwwwimdbcomtitlett0499549fullcredits
When was MotionBuilder developed and what technology was used to develop it
MotionBuilder was originally developed as a motion capture tool more than 15 years ago Beyond mocap itrsquos also been used to drive devices like motion control cameras In 1999 Kim Libreri and John Gaeta used MotionBuilder to create the bullet time effect
in the first Matrix movie Since then MotionBuilder remains the de facto standard for mocap and device control and has evolved into a real time character animation tool and a hub for virtual cinematography
When James Cameron conceived the idea for lsquoAvatarrsquo 15 years ago the technology wasnrsquot available to make it said Nolan Murtha digital effects supervisor at Lightstorm Entertainment Over the past few years with the help of Autodesk software we were able to bring his vision to life On set we essentially created a live video game of each scene we could see what the movie was going to look like and make adjustments right away rather than waiting until post-production This was in large part due to the powerful real-time interactive capabilities of MotionBuilder
How does the virtual camera integrate into Autodesks software to produce real-time video
Data and video that has been captured with MotionBuilder can easily be integrated in other Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation tools whether they are 3D tools like 3ds Max Maya or Softimage or 2D tools like Flame Smoke or Lustre through our FBX file format
What type of computing power was necessary to achieve this
Our customers usually use the latest high-end graphics card to get the maximum performance out of our software
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
What types of computers and operating systems were used
We support multiple platforms Windows Mac and Linux MotionBuilder is primarily used on Windows Film companies tend to favour Linux for their pipeline so a lot of Maya seats are Linux seats
How many different companies were involved and what were their roles in the production of the final movie
What was captured live on-set for Avatar was given to numerous visual effects houses for finalization Weta Digital was the lead visual effects house for Avatar and worked with 15 other studios including ILM (battle) Framestore (Hellrsquos Gate shots) Prime Focus (bio lab
ops center) Buf Compagnie (tunnel earth shots) Hybride (link room) and many
others These companies brought the entire set of Autodesks
digital entertainment creation tools to bear to help bring the story to life Since
what was captured on-set was essentially low-resolution video
game-like footage there was much work to
be done by the visual effects houses and many of Autodeskrsquos Digital Entertainment Creation software products were used for
modeling compositing visual effects lighting
rendering etc
What challenges did you have during the making of Avatar What was the most challenging part
Irsquod like to clarify that Autodesk software was used in the making of Avatar ndash but it was the work of James Cameron Jon Landau their Lightstorm Entertainment team and the many other talented people credited on the film that actually made the movie
Were any software modifications or special plug-ins necessary to achieve the final results
Our customers always customize our tools and tend to keep their secrets secret But we know that Weta has developed a new realistic muscle system in Maya to reach a higher level of realism using the performance capture facial data
How was Pandora created How was the realism achieved
This is a question for the creative geniuses at Weta Digital the lead visual effects house for Avatar CGSociety did an in-depth interview with Weta about their work on Avatar httpfeaturescgsocietyorgstory_customphpstory_id=5434ampreferer=rss
1832 of the filmrsquos shots were created by Weta Weta made 60000 digital bugs (insects) for Pandora as well as its breathtaking jungles
How does the technology used in the making of Avatar change the future of making live action movies How does this technology open other possibilities
Avatar represents a turning point for the film industry The filmmakers pioneered a groundbreaking method of virtual moviemaking bridging the real and virtual worlds Soon the technology will be widely accessible enabling human actorsrsquo performances to be applied to all kinds of digital characters ndash characters that can look human or not It also returns actors to the purest form of their craft Gone is
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
interview
16 psd Photoshop
interview with marc petit
17psd Photoshop
the need for hours of make-up costumes and prosthetics to get the talent camera-ready Avatar is also one of the first mainstream live-action stereoscopic 3D (S3D) movies Until now most S3D movies have been stereo versions of computer graphics animated movies Creating a live-action S3D movie is more difficult and there was doubt as to whether moviegoers would enjoy the immersive experience of S3D for the 25hr-long Avatar Now Avatar has proven that live-action S3D movies are viable and profitable And on average attendance and ticket prices tend to be higher for S3D movies earning 2 to 3 times the box-office receipts of their 2D equivalents
Can you explain Virtual Production and Movie Making using Autodesks MotionBuilder
Virtual production processes are starting to transform the way filmmakers and their teams create high quality entertainment New digital technologies are providing filmmakers and their production teams with real-time interactive environments and breakthrough workflows transforming the way they plan and create movies Using the latest 3D software gaming and motion capture technology ndash including Autodesk MotionBuilder they can explore define plan and communicate their creative ideas in new more intuitive visual ways helping them reduce risk eliminate confusion and address production unknowns much earlier in the filmmaking process Innovators ndash from production companies like Lightstorm Entertainment to pre-visualization specialists like The Third Floor ndash are already using Virtual Production technologies to push creative boundaries and save costs
To learn more please refer to Autodeskrsquos whitepaper ldquoThe New Art of Virtual Moviemakingrdquo
httpimagesautodeskcomadskfilesthe_new_art_of_virtual_moviemaking_-_autodesk_whitepaperpdf
Whats next
Avatar Producer Jon Landau said ldquoWhat we were able to do with the Autodesk software is to make technology an enabling essence and
we were able to do a movie that we could not otherwise dordquo There is still much work to be done by Autodesk and other technology developers who support the movie industry in order to simplify and democratize the moviemaking process Wersquove got to leverage the progress in computing power and graphics to improve the visual quality of the real-time feedback shown to the actors and the director on what are often bare or green screenndashbacked stages
Autodesk believes that the key to improved production efficiency and effectiveness lies in empowering creative visionaries and entire production teams with better faster tools that communicate will together Itrsquos about carrying the vision from initial concept to final delivery in a way that drives creativity efficiency interaction and collaboration This is what we strive to achieve with our Digital Entertainment Creation software
Ed Werzyn amp Psd Photoshop Team
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
This retouching is a simple example of the power that has photoshop on how you can bring out the best of the beauty of a person In this tutorial we will show simple techniques of retouching using the tools most popular of Photoshop
medium | 2h adobe photoshop CS3
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
Extreme Retouching
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
20 psd Photoshop
Step 1First of all duplicate background layer and call it healing brush Select from the tools panel the spot healing brush and use it to remove all the imperfections of the skin included spots and little wrinkles Also you delete the hair in front of the eyes
01
02
03
Step 2After we cleaned her faceduplicate the healing brush layer and select lasso tool by the tools panel With lazo make a rough selection of the eyebrow and apply free transform by the menugrave modifyfree transform or by the shortcut ctrl+t Resize the eyebrow intervening on the transform controls In this case move down the higher and lift up the lower transform control (indicated by the arrow) and click on the selection to move the eyebrow and reposition it Press Enter to confirm and press Ctrl+D to clear (deselect) the selection Duplicate the healing brush layer again and merge it at the eyebrow layer Nowusing clone stamp and healing brush tool cleaning the old eyebrow and make uniform the skin around (img 1-2) Repeat the same procedure with the other eyebrow(dont worry about the hair on because they cover it later)
Step 3Duplicate the healing brush layer Start from the hairs select the clone stamp tool and using the these values diameter 80px e hardness 50 Consider as source a part of thick hairand cover these hair to get a similar result (img3) Now make his teeth more regular using clone stamp tool with a small diameter (5px for example) and opacity about 85(img4) When we have reached a good results remove circles with clone stamp tool(img6) being attention to get a natural and homogeneous result
Source Files
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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wwwpsdmagorg
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Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
extreme retouching
21psd Photoshop
Step 4Duplicate the eyebrow copy layer and rename it liquify Open from the menu bar Filterliquefy (shortcut Maiusc+Ctrl+X) select plucker tool (s) and with a enough size of brush ( 205px for example) make the nose slightly small giving like short shots with brush over the entire length of the nose Using the bloat tool (b) reduce the brush size (90px for example) and give more volume to lips
04
05
06
Step 5Duplicate the liquify layer and call it smooth skin Go in Filternoisedust and scratches and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok Now go in FilterBlurGaussian Blur and set the radius about 10 pixel and press ok
Step 6Now go in menugrave Layerlayer mask hide all it will be created a layer mask filled of black at our layer that it will hide the filters appliedSo select the brush tool and set foreground color on white than set the opacity of brush tool with ap-proximate values (60 for example) and begin to paint (with the mask selected) only on the skin excluding also haireyebrowseyes ecc Well see to back top the filters applied before Using a lower opacity paint also on the lips to smooth it
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
22 psd Photoshop
Step 7Now we need to emphasize the eyes using the dodge and burn tools Duplicate the liquify layer and rename it eyes Select the dodge tool from the tools panel and set Range in Highlights Opac-ity until 30-40 and we choose a diameter that fits the eye (see the figure) So paint the inside of the eyes to make them brighter Now select burn tool with a small diameter (6-7px) set an opacity about 10 and paint the edge of the iris to darken it
07
08
09
Step 8Now apply just a little bit of make up Create a new layer (Maiusc+Ctrl+N) and we have to make sure that it is in top of the other layers Select the brush tool choose a dark color and set the opacity at 100 painting on her eyelid like if you put on the eyeshadow now apply a few of FiltersBlurBox Blur on this layer choosing like values 4px or 6px (in this range) At the end change the blend-ing mode of the layer on Soft Light (you can try also Moltiply or Color) and reduce layers opacity Repeat the same procedure for the other eye and if you want also to add phard on the cheeks (but in this case we need to choose a higher value for a blur) and lipstick creating a new layer for every-thing and choosing the colors that you prefer This is my version
Step 9now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and set this values Amount=35 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and press Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all and now retouch the brightness and contrast Create a new layer from the menugrave bar LayerNew adjustment layerCurves you can give a name at the layer and click Ok Choose from a Preset Menu Linear Contrast and press Ok So duplicate the eyes layer and go in FilterSharpenUnsharp Mask and seti this values Amount=50 Radius=5px Threshold=0 and presso Ok Go in menugrave Layer Layer mask hide all Select the brush tool and set as foreground color white and paint on the eyes to sharpen The end
by Ylenia Peronti
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 60 min adobe photoshop CS4
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
it is photoshop
25psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need to open the photo you want to retouch Duplicate the layer (Layer ndash Duplicate Layer) and call it skin Take from the tool palette the healing brush tool and remove possible defects ie pimples hair flowing over his face etc Always from the tool palette take Patch Tool (Healing brush tool - hold until the various instruments appear) and remove the wrinkles go to form below the neck
01
02
Step 2Duplicate the layer and name it ldquohigh passrdquo Click over Filter ndash Other ndash High Pass Set 20 pixels and confirm Now click Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur set 10 pixels Invert the image [ctrl + I] and set the layer to Linear Light Create a layer mask (layer ndash layer mask ndash reveal all) and reverse With a soft brush and a diameter of about 170px brush in areas where the skin should be brought better Lower the opacity level to 60 and merge layers [ctrl + E]
Is it Magic No it is PhotoshopHave you ever wondered why the models that we see in the newspapers are always so beautiful and perfect Then we look in the mirror and think Oh how I would be so perfect How are they doing The answer is very simple The magic of photoshop This tutorial was created with the intent to teach a few simple steps a true professional retouching Even the less experienced will thus be able to create fantastic dive for cover
Sour
ce F
iles
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
26 psd Photoshop
Step 4Create the make up New Layer [Shift - Ctrl ndash N] and call it eyeshadow Take the brush (soft) and set it to 40px Set the layer to soft light Choose a color and brush on the lower lid If the color chosen is not desired go to Image - adjustments - hue and saturation and regulated Again create a new layer set to soft light and brush (with another color choice) on the upper eyelid Fade the color with the eraser using these settings Opacity 30 hardness 0 and diameter 150px Now we need to create the light and shade of make up New layer and color the areas where you want to create the nuance in black Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 40px Remove with the eraser the areas of light If you want to accentuate further create a new layer set to soft light and brush over the gradient created earlier Fade with the eraser soft and low opacity You now need to accentuate the areas of light New layer set to soft light color the light areas of white with a soft brush Fade with the eraser
04
05
Step 5Now you should adjust the lights of the picture then create a new adjustment layer (livello ndash nuovo livello di regolazione ndash curve) For the shadows output 98 input 155 press Ctrl + I and brush areas in shadow with a soft brush Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set 50px confirm Fade with the eraser with 30 opacity For lights output 138 input 115 and light brush areas
03
Step 3Select the Dodge tool from the layers palette and set it this way Light and exposure to 7 with a diameter of about 140px Brush over the eye sockets Now clean up the background Duplicate the layer and name it background Remove using (always from the tool palette) the Clone Stamp tool and the patch tool any hair and stains
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
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Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
it is photoshop
27psd Photoshop
Step 7Merge the layers with the initial one Duplicate it Select the Burn tool set shadows and 5 opacity Brush in shaded areas Same thing for the lights Select the Dodge tool set lights to 7 opacity and brush areas light Finally to give a contrast duplicate the layer go to filter ndash sharpen ndash sharpen
by Carla Cabras
07
06
Step 6Adjust the colors of the photo Create a new adjustment layer - hue saturation Set the saturation to -20 Create a new adjustment layer - selective color correction Red Cyan -20 yellow +30 Press Ctrl + I and just brush her hair with the brush set to white Yet another new adjustment layer - selective color correction set Neutral Cyan +8 magenta -3 Yellow +8 black -2 To brighten eyes go to New Adjustment Layer - Curves output 143 input 109 Press Ctrl + I and brush on the iris
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
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02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
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team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
28 psd Photoshop
Step 2Now you need to get a photo for retouch If you are going to practice only ndash you can search Uncle Google for photos of celebrates for example You can also download a free-image from such services as wwwdeviantartorg or wwwsxchu (remember to always read the licence) Finally you can grab your camera and shoot someonehellip For the purpose of this tutorial Irsquove chosen the third option I`m an amateur in photography and I donrsquot have a pro camera so donrsquot mind the quality of the base image As we can see the photo is quite dark the skin isnrsquot perfect and the model has some strange colors reflected from the studio (which was my room)
How to retouch your picture
Chapter I The main preparations
Step 1First thing you need to do ndash is to set up some preferences of your software to make your work comfortable Because I`m using Photoshop ndash I`ll show you my settings ndash and yoursquoll have to find out how to set them up in your software (if other than PS) First thing to do is to set the hotkeys for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool (Edit-gtKeyoard Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+K) Because we will use them a lot ndash we need to have a quick access to them ndash thatrsquos why I set [A] for Dodge and [S] for Burn Next you have to change settings for Dodge and Burn tools Just take a look at the screenshot and set those settings the same for Dodge tool and Burn tool After that go to Brushes [F5] and turn on Other dynamics and Smoothing ndash again the same for Dodge Tool and Burn Tool Now yoursquore ready to go to step 2
In this tutorial I am going to explain few steps to achieve a nice and good looking photo I will be using Adobe Photoshop software and Wacom Intuos4 M tablet The software isnrsquot a-must-have one ndash you may use any type of soft that has a dodge and burn tool clone stamp and brush The tablet IS a-must-have one Whole postporcess will be very difficult for ones who operate only with mouse Sohellip Letrsquos get started
Source Files
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
how to retouch your picture
29psd Photoshop
Step 3So now we are going to fix the main problems with color contrast and levels To do that go to Layer-gtNew adjustment layer-gtCurves and change the curve untill yoursquore satisfied with the result For my photo Irsquove set the curves like that Irsquove noticed that the brightest areas of the picture were now too bright ndash so I painted over those with Soft Brush [B] (Opacity set to 40 Other Dynamics on and set to Pen Pressure ndash just like here [plik other_dynamicsjpg]) using Black Color I like this way of tweaking the Adjustment Layers ndash because you can always go back to them and change the settings ndash that keeps the work fast and simple Another step was to brighten the background using Levels (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtLevels) and painting out the areas I didnrsquot want to change Last thing in this step was warming a bit the colors For this purpose Irsquove used the Color Balance (Layer-gtNew Adjustment Layer-gtColor Balance) and I was playing around with the sliders to achieve desired effect
Wen you finish your color corrections you may want to put the Adjustment Layers into a group ndash I did it because that way I was able to turn them on and off quickly to check the image without them
After those steps you are ready to go to the Chapter II
Chapter II Retouching the skin
MemoStarting from this step itrsquos good to work in 100 zoom (or higher) and zooming out from time to time Itrsquos important because thatrsquos how you can spot some mistakes yoursquove made or left unfixed Keep that in mind while all the postprocess work described further
Step 1 First of all ndash you have to duplicate your background into a layer you will work on To do that ndash click on the Background and go Ctrl+J ndash and there you go You have a nice Background-copy layer ndash and yoursquore ready to start to remove skin artifacts and etc To do that ndash you have at least 3 different tools to use
bull Spot Healing Brush Toolbull Clone Stampbull Dodge and Burn Tool
The first one is good for removing very small imperfections Clone Stamp is good for eresing single hairs that just ruin the image refining the nails or removing highlighted areas Dodge and Burn tools are usefull for all of those things and I`m using them most often While retouching the skin I`m trying to achieve very nice soft ndash but still skin thatrsquos why I`m not duplicating the skin and bluring it ndash because then you will loose all of the skin texture and it will look unnatural Dodge and Burn tools are amazing here because you can blend out the imperfections without loosing the skin texture All you need to remember is to keep the brush size small and work small and slow instead of big and fast The same way you will retouch the skin folds and etc Itrsquos a good way to turn off and on the visibility of your copied layer to see the differences ndash thatrsquos how you will keep the output photo natural I`ve marked few areas for example for you to understand where to use what kind of tool
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
30 psd Photoshop
Step 2 When yoursquore satisfied with retouched skin imperfections and skin folds ndash you will need to darken the highlighted areas caused by the flashlight Again ndash to save the skin texture ndash you use the Clone Stamp set to Darken opacity set to 30-40 size ndash not too big ndash still keep to the small and slow rule
Hint While using Dodge tool and Burn tool for a long time you will notice some color changes to the skin (or other surface yoursquore working on) To fix it take your Brush tool [B] set it to Color Opacity 30-40 pick the natural skin color from the photo and paint out the strange colors
Chapter III Removing hairs refining nails fixing shapes eyes and lips
Step 1Removing hair needs combining Dodge and Burn tool with Healing Brush Tool HBT is similar to Spot Healing Brush Tool but with Healing Brush Tool itrsquos you who picks the source area First thing to do is erasing those single hair using Healing Brush Tool (set size just around 2x bigger than the single hair) You need to instantly check the source space ndash and change it when needed ndash to avoid mistakes After that you take your Dodge Tool and Burn Tool to blend the skin nicely and smoothly If you want to remove some hair strands you donrsquot need ndash my suggestion is to use Clone Stamp Tool set to Lighten with opacity around 70 and then Dodge and Burn Tool to blend Here are some screens from my work
Step 2You will always need to look at the fingers and nails if they appear on the picture Nails will have to be perfect just as the skin etc So grab your Clone Stamp Tool set it to Normal Opacity to 100 size small enough and picking the nearest spot draw the proper nail shape Then using Dodge and Burn Tool blend it and give it a nice shiny effect If you want to change to color of the nail ndash just take your Brush Tool set it to Color Opacity 30-40 size small again and paint over the nails with color you want Sometimes you will need to remove color from the nails before ndash to do that grab your Lasso Tool [L] select the nails and push Shift+Ctrl+U This will desaturate your nails Then paint over the nails with your Brush Tool and color you want After that push Ctrl+D to deselect If you look close to earlier screenshots you will notice that shape of the finger in After changed To change the shape you need to select an area you want to work on ndash for example the hand (again Lasso Tool) and push Shift+Ctrl+X (Filter-gtLiquifyhellip) Set up the preferences similar to pickture below and using Forward Warp Tool [W] change the shape you want (remember to stick to the small and slow rule) The same way you can fix the shape of lips eyes eyebrows arms and etc
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
how to retouch your picture
31psd Photoshop
Step 3The last thing to do in this chapter is fixing the eyes and lips Letrsquos take the eyes first You have to remove the reflected colors from the eyeball Take your Brush Tool set it to Color and pick up some nice gray shade from the eye Paint over the eyeball untill yoursquore satisfied Use Dodge and Burn Tools to blend and remove those eye-veins cause nobody wants to see them You can also make a selection and push Shift+Ctrl+U to remove color from the eyeball but it depends on the photo ndash remember you want the picture to look natural To increase the contrast on the pupil itrsquos good to use Brush Tool set to Multiply (to darken some areas) ndash other settings the same (play with Hardness ndash it depends on what you want to achieve ndash for example if you want to draw some aditional lashes or eyebrows set Hardness to 90 if you want to work over some bigger areas such as the pupil ndash set Hardness to 20-40) You may want to refine lashes and eyebrows to make the model look more feminine To do that ndash again Brush Tool set to Normal this time Hardness around 90 size really small (as I worked on the image sized 2600x3900 px in 240dpi I was using size 4 for lashes and eyebrows) but this time remember to turn on the Shape dynamics in the Brushes Menu [F5] and set Size Jitter to react on Pen Pressure Donrsquot forget to turn this off when you finish your eyelashes or eyebrows or etc ndash it may cause some problems when you work on something else Here you can see how I did the eyes in my photo
Step 4Lips What you are going to do with lips depends on many aspects for example ndash model wish your imagination directors directive My model wanted to have lips brighter than you can see in the original picture First of all I tried to blend and balance the shadows on the lips ndash ofcourse using Dodge and Burn tools again Next Irsquove selected the lips area with Lasso Tool and using Liquify filter [Shift+Ctrl+X] Irsquove refined shape of the lips too Next step was lighten them up ndash Irsquove done that using Dodge Tool but this time I was using bigger size of the brush (adjust your size to fit the lips) Aditionally you can boost the color of lips for example using a Brush Tool set to Soft Light (or Overlay ndash it depends on what effect you want to achieve) Opacity 30-40 using color picked up from the lips To change the color you will need to desaturate lips first then use Brush Tool set to Color (but in my opinion itrsquos not the best idea) Take a look at the screenies to see what it looks like in my photo
MemoYou may say that Irsquove forgot about the hair Yes ndash it may look this way ndash but I must say that Irsquove found the hair look so good and natural and there was no need to fix them But If you need to fix the hair ndash then the steps to do that are mostly the same as the rest But The easiest way to boost the haircut a bit is to create two Adjustment Layers -gt Curves one set to lighten the image and the other one to darken the image Than click on the layer mask (Layers Window) Ctrl+I to reverse it and then using the Brush Tool small size Other dynamics turned on and color White ndash you highlight the bright strands (that would be Curves that lighten the image) and darken the shadows (Curves that darken the image) You can also add some hairs using the Brush Tool (on the new layer) with a very small size sharp edge Shape dynamics turned on and Other dynamics turned off opacity around 90 - but this will be pretty tough and needs some practice
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
beauty retouch
32 psd Photoshop
Chapter 4 Final touchYoursquore almost done Assuming you have succesfully went through all those long borring and time-eating steps I`ve described before - therersquos some quick corrections to do ndash and the picture is finished First you have to zoom out and ask yourself Hmmhellip Do I like it If you do click Save as Noooohellip D Not that fast I`m almost sure you will not like it just like that (well I didnrsquot) I was still able to point some strange colors on the skin that were hard to hide I wasnrsquot also happy with overall color temperature of the picture So here is what I did
Step 1With my Color Picker Irsquove picked up a nice natural color of the skin I`ve created a new layer over my Background-copy layer (the one we were working on in Chapter 2 and 3) and under the Group made for color corrections (wersquove created it in Chapter 1) Then Irsquove just filled the whole layer with my skin-natural-color Irsquove added a Layer Mask (itrsquos the gray square with white circle in the middle icon placed in your Layers Window) After that I`ve set this layer blend mode to Color played around with Opacity and Flow of that layer to achieve desired skin tone and then using Brush Tool set to Normal Opacity 100 all dynamics turned off ndash Irsquove painted on the Layer Mask over the areas I didnrsquot want to have a skin-natural-color (such as hair lips eyes etc) Itrsquos good to start with biiig brush so you can quickly cut out unnecessarry areas and then grab some smaller brush to refine the edges of our Layer Mask ndash all of that to make the picture look most natural
Step 2 I still wasnrsquot happy with the result Mostly because of the low contrast So Irsquove created another Adjustment Layer (Layer-gtNew Adjustmend Layer-gtGradient Map) with gradient from dark and bright skin tone of the model Irsquove set the blending mode of that layer to Overlay and again ndash playing around with Opacity and Flow sliders to get the desired result
After that my picture looked like this
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
how to retouch your picture
33psd Photoshop
Last stepNow yoursquore going to sharpen the image It will be better if you donrsquot use the Filter-gtSharpen options You can try other way instead Simply push Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (this will make new layer with your image) or create a new layer and go to Image-gtApply Image Next set the layerrsquos blending mode to Overlay go to Filter-gtOther-gtHigh pass set the Radious to 20 and click OK Now you need to play with Opacity of the layer to get the desired result You can create a Layer Mask to this layer and paint with Black color to erase the sharpen effect from the areas you donrsquot want to be sharpened Because my picture has kind-a plain background ndash Irsquove ignored that step Finish finito wersquore donehellip
by Michael Ziemak
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
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02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
From this tutorial you will learn how to restore an old photo and take care of the faded areas as well as color balance
Restoring the past
medium | 1 h corel paint shop pro photo X2
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
restoring the past
35psd Photoshop
Step 1With the original photo in hand we can see that it is faded and color aged with minor problems with risks and scratches Here we have a photo from 1977 taken in south of Brazil
02
03
Step 2Now for questions of fidelity we are going to keep the original photo and start adjusting the faded photo You can use the Fade Correction Adjust at will but keep in mind that in some cases it will dark the image Therefore we use here a level of 45 to get the faded colors better Adjustgtcolorgtfade correctiongtamount 45
Step 3Than we can use an effect that will sharp a lithe and improve brightness of the image Take care to use it a higher amount of this effect will get the photo too sharp I used an amount of five in this case it gets a good effect and do not affect the original aspect of the photo AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtClarifygtamount 5
01
Sour
ce F
iles
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
picture restoring
36 psd Photoshop
Step 4A little bit of Contrast and Brightness A value of 10 of each will be good enough AdjustgtBrightness and ContrastgtBrightnessContrastgtamount of brightness 10 amount of contrast 10
04
05
06
Step 5Lets remove some minor specks of the image with the Salt and Pepper filter In many cases a low value will be good enough AdjustgtAddRemove NoisegtSalt and Pepper FilterhellipgtSpeck size (pixels) 10Sensitivity to specks 2
Step 6We are almost finished here we can adjust the color to be a little bit warmer using the color balance option I used here a preset adjust AdjustgtColor BalancehellipgtSettingsgtFluorescent ndash Cool (4300K) So here it is you do not have to change many physical aspects of the image using tools like the clone tool we used just some filters and that is the result Keep in mind that the restoration of old photos needs to change just a few things to keep it as an original photo not a photoshoped one
by Fabiano Uesler
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
37022008
contributing writers
Lina Eriksson
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
c o v e r a r t i s t
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a vicious young illustrator who completed the Illustration program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia He graduated in 2007 with various awards in Illustration and writing Alex has worked with bands like Psyopus Architect Yakuza Dark Tranquility and Circle of Dead Children designing tshirts and album art He has also done design andor artwork for Willowtip Records Debello Records Tribunal Records Black Market Activities and Century Media and Scholastic Books He is currently hard at work illustrating Awakening an existential horror comic book being published by Archaia Studios Press Alex uses a combination of photo and traditional media with heavy digital work in photoshop and painter
Andrew Hall
My name is Andrew Hall and I live in Jackson Mississippi When not designing I can be found hanging out with friends surfing the web or playing a computer game The two programs I use the most are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator I just received an Associates degree for Graphic Design Technology at Hinds Community College and am ready to build up a portfolio of clients
Carla Cabras
Carla Cabras 18 born in Sassari (Sardinia - Italy-) She attends the fourth year of the Institute of Art ldquoF Figarirdquo course graphics design and photography The passion of the photoretouch comes about a year ago She has learned the photoretouch watching only some tutorials on the web
Fabiano Uesler
About meName Fabiano Uesler Age 32 Job Portuguese teacher and photo restorer City Blumenau State Santa Catarina CountryBrazil
Katrina Gonzales
I love photography and manipulate my photos in Photoshop CS3 to edit the colors I always want my photos to look happy and colorful Every time I take photos I always put my emotions and feelings into it To improve my skills I always watch tutorials on the internet to learn more about photography and manipulation Please visit my Portfolio and Deviantart Accountlthttptomatokissesdeviantartcomgtlthttptomatokissesdaportfoliocomgt
Alena Azareva
Hello My name is Alena I am 29 years old I live in Russia in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny Naberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan RussiaI have been drawing since childhood I studied at the School of Art at the artist There I drew painting figure was engaged in a sculpture and studied history of arts Then I went to the graphic design courses and began to paint in Photoshop I love to paint in the style of Fantasy fairies elves mermaids and angels I use Photoshop and Wacom Intuos3Website httpalenalazarevadaportfoliocomEmail alenkalazarevamailruBLOG httpalenalazarevablogspotcom
Michael Ziemak
I was born in 1981 I come from Poland My adventure with Photoshop started few years ago and it was all about Virtual Tuning Then I caught myself thinking Heyhellip Itrsquos a lot of fun ndash working with photos Right now I`m studying computer graphics and I`m willing to work as a graphic or digital painter Photography and drawing was (and still is) my hobby and my goal is to improve my skills to be very good at what I love to do Tutorials found on the websites helped me a lot ndash and I hope my one will help you as well If you have any questions ndash please note me on deviantart ndash you will find link to my account at the end of my tutorialmishaartdeviantartcom or mishaartdigartpl or mishaartarticiancom or grafartorg
Travis Wright
Irsquove been drawing ever since I can remember one of those kids that just forgot to put the pencil down and do something else Irsquom originally from Brisbane Australia where I previously completed a couple of independent comic stories Irsquove never been to any formal art school or college and am happy to admit that I am mostly self-taught I moved to Japan in 2005 to get a new outlook on life and fell into the world of digital painting which I immediately fell in love with I have worked on various game-mods card and board games and comic books
Ylena Peronti
Ylenia Peronti Irsquom 19 years old italian artist From 3 years I have a passion for photo retouch and generally for phtoshop so I started to practice retouch first on what I call bdquoextreme makeoverrdquo as described in this tutorial and then devot himelf to studying professional photo retouching refining technical professional and actually retouch fashion shots Irsquom supermoderator in the Forum Graphics wwwgraficicreativicom and I manage especially the section of photoretouch you can find me at the following links wwwyleniaperontiwordpresscomhttpyleniucciadeviantartcom
Claudia McKinney
She says her work is like her own version of keeping a journal Each piece represents a time in Claudiarsquos life so she can instantly recall what was happening Her first book ndash Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen cover out in February
Zena Santos
At a young age I found a love for Photoshop finding what was possible in the program to be wonderful but then Illustrator was introduced to me and I found it being more helpful to my illustratve style Currently I study at Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and will graduate at the end of 2010
Rasha Al-Najjar
Rasha Al-Najjar is a 22 year old Graphic Design student in her final year of university Although not a professional in any respect she enjoys working to expand upon her hobby of drawing and character design and encourages others to get out there and create some new and exciting worlds and concepts Illustration has always been her passion and she doubts that shersquoll ever become bored with it because there will always be something new to draw
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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wwwpsdmagorg
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Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
white hand type
39psd Photoshop
Step 1First you need a stock image you can lay your text on A common technique for Illustrator users is to draw their designs on paper scan it in and tracedraw directly on top of the image in the program We are going to take the same approach with a stock image After finding your stock photo open it up in Photoshop You are going to want your im-age size to be high enough that you can see the details of the photo but low enough that you donrsquot get lost in the image while laying your text down For me about 800 pixels wide or tall is best To change the size of your image go to ImagegtImage Size and select 800 pixels in either the wide or tall text box Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the bulleted buttons or your image will stretch I also turned my image sideways to the way I wanted it by going to ImagegtImage Rotation
01
02
Step 2Create a solid background of your choice Mine is a lime green color I made a new layer and used the Paint Bucket Tool located under the Gradient Tool
White Hand Type In this tutorial I will teach you how to make a photo-realistic rendering of a picture using Photoshop You will learn how to lay down type in Photoshop using various effects to create a 3D look from your image By eliminating the need for different colors to be used as texture this tutorial focuses on making an image ldquopoprdquo out of what is really just a bunch of text in different shapes in the same color By the end of this tutorial you should be able to apply this knowledge to any image and create unique text art that is entirely your own
Stock provider ndash Mallory HeinzUSA httpbox-o-fox-stockdeviantartcom
Sour
ce F
iles
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
typography
40 psd Photoshop
Step 4Repeat this process by following the contours of the image underneath Keep consistent with the inner shapes of the background only deviating from sizeshape every so often to make a word pop from the shapes at a distance Donrsquot be afraid to get the type real tiny either even if you canrsquot read it at actual size Every so often click on the visibility of your solid background layer and look at it from a distance The more the type blends together to show an image the better
04
05
Step 5A good design element is to let text go off the canvas In this piece Irsquove created depth by simply making the type larger on the arm than the palm or anywhere else
03
Step 3Turn off visibility on your new background Create a new layer and type out your text with the Hori-zontal Type Tool Click your Move Tool Hold down [ctrl]+[T] (or [command]+[T] on a Mac) to Free Transform Roughly size it down to about the size of the space you want the text to fit in Now select your text with the Horizontal Type Tool and click Create Warped Text Choose a style and modify how it looks to your liking I chose Arc and set it to +19 on Bend Hit OK and use Free Transform to resize and rotate the image to where you want it
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
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Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
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02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
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The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
white hand type
41psd Photoshop
Step 7Some tips The Bulge style in Warp Text is perfect for cylindrical shapes while the Arc Flag and Rise styles are great for outlining and curvy shapes Hold down your spacebar while using a tool be-sides the Type Tool to turn your cursor into the Hand Tool whenever you need to quickly click and drag your canvas around Now fill up all that space with the same curves and shapes on the image
07
08
Step 808 Once yoursquove filled up the original image with type turn on the solid background you made ear-lier I added a white inner stroke to blend into the type bleeding off the page in Layer StylegtStroke And yoursquore done Save as a jpg or whatever im-age file type you prefer
by Andrew Hall
06
Step 6Pay attention to negative and positive space How tightly you pack the type or how much space you put between elements is important This space counts as a shape in its own right
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 18 h
adobe photoshop CS3
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
the heart of town
43psd Photoshop
Step 1So Irsquove started to do some light painting using a slightly textured custom brush with about 30 opacity and 40 flow just covering up most of the pencil to start with Irsquove done a tiny bit of render-ing in the face nothing too intense Irsquove also added some ink and splatter to keep things looking more alive Sometimes doing inks in the computer can look way too clean or soft Getting a sense of grit early on is important and even if you cover it up as you build overtop it will enrich the final prod-uct I promise So far things are looking kind of boring Itrsquos too still too peaceful not very dynamic or interesting
01
02
Step 2Thatrsquos better Irsquove decided not to stick so closely to the sketch and let the city spill out over the bor-der I want some chaos and movement around my figure so Irsquove decided to build the city up around and on top of him The person can stay serene and still as long as the city has life and motion to it (insert building1jpg and building3jpg) I grab a few photos I took around town that I think could work play with the levels until I find what feels like the right balance and then pile them on Painting out sections with the layer mask helps things to blend together a bit more easily but at this point itrsquos really all about shapes
for The Heart
of TownIn my tutorial I will focus on the collage and building part of my process I often start with a black and white image and work until I like the balance and values then add the color Hopefully this tutorial will give you some ideas for your own work as well as showing you how to combine photo collage and digital painting in a less sterile way than the typical matte paintings First things first I did a quick and rough sketch just to give myself a VERY basic idea of where I want the piece to start Yoursquoll notice that the finishes is quite different from my sketch which I think is fine in personal work In fact itrsquos part of what keeps things exciting in my opinion
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
creative class
44 psd Photoshop
Step 4This step is mostly just little adjustments piling on more little pieces and texture to fill out the piece I want there to be tons of wires telephone poles lamp posts etc Irsquove added a section of fence some street lights all the things that catch my eye when Irsquom in the city and also that crazy splattery eclipsed sun (insert buildings5jpg and texturejpg) Irsquove also overlayed this pretty awe-some running paint texture over sections that felt too flat and dull Itrsquos really handy to keep a folder of pictures like this one (preferably that you take yourself) I think it goes a long way towards keep-ing things from looking too clean and sterile and a sort of human touch is something thatrsquos really important to me in my work To this end Irsquove also added some more ink and splatter as well as a little oil paint texture since I did bury most of the ink from the early stages At this point Irsquom pretty happy with how things are looking in black and white and we can flatten and add some color
04
05 Step 5Irsquoll let you all in on a trick that I use fairly often Image-adjustment-variations Itrsquos not terribly refined but it can be a great way to add some color to a flat bw image I usually make a copy of the flat image then try out some variations lower the opacity and layer them until Irsquove got some rich an interesting color as a base to work on top of Then itrsquos just the usual color overlays a bit of texture work and some multiply layers I paint into the face some more at this point to give it a bit of a glow and a richer skintone I mostly do this with a few overlay and soft light layers with varying opacity and a low opacity brush then some highlights to finish him off Irsquove added some dot tone to the architectural sections at this stage also to give them some more texture and also help differentiate between build-ing and man I wasnrsquot the man to seem nestled in surrounded even a part of the build-ing but still markedly distinct from them at least texturally Basically this stage is a lot of little refining touches and push and pull I added the blue windows and shapes at the bottom at the very end of the process and I donrsquot think I was satisfied with the piece until I did Irsquom always a big fan of tan and blue as a color scheme and I think they do a lot to draw the eye through the piece Itrsquos always worth exploring weird color experiments especially in digital work like this since you never have to really commit to anything Well there you have it Hopefully this was at all helpful and if you didnrsquot learn anything maybe my crazy process gave you some ideas to try out in your own stuff Good luck and keep it brutal
by Alex Eckman
03Step 3 Now Irsquom actually getting excited about the piece I like the shapes and adding the powerlines (a fa-vorite crutch of mine) keeps the eye moving and feels appropriate to the piece (insert wiresjpg buildings2jpg and buildings4jpg) for the wires I upped the contrast all the way on some photos of phone lines and then copy sections I want and paste them as a multiply layer Then itrsquos just a matter of banding them to look natural using transform-warp I use some new building facades as well to filll some of the space around our cen-tral figure and set the layer property to screen I also add some grey tone at this stage and paint parts out with the layer mask to get a nice value structure and make sure the right places get focus I want to make sure my figure doesnrsquot get TOO buried since he is our focal point
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medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
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09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
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Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
Editor in Chief Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Editor Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Copy EditorsEd Werzyn Bonnie Lynn Wagner
Art Director Agnieszka Marchocka DTP Ireneusz Pogroszewski Przemysław
BanasiewiczArt Executive Manager Ireneusz
PogroszewskiSenior ConsultantPublisherPresident
Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO Ewa Łozowicka
Marketing Director Marta Kobus martakobuspsdmagorg
Executive Ad Consultant Ewa Samulska ewasamulskapsdmagorg
Production DirectorAndrzej Kuca andrzejkucapsdmagorg
Postal addresPublisher Software Press Spzoo SK
02-682 Warszawa ul Bokserska 1worldwide publishing
wwwpsdmagorg
All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies
which own themMathematical formulas created by Design
Science MathTypetrade The editors use automatic DTP system
Editorial contributions should be sent to
editorspsdmagorg
Customer Service +1 917 338 3631
The Software Press Spzoo SK works individually from Adobe The psd Photoshop
team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality correctness completeness or quality of the information
provided by contributors
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 30 min adobe photoshop CS3 | adobe illustrator CS3
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
repeating pattern
47psd Photoshop
New Ai DocumentOpen a new documwent in illustrator make it any size as this will just be place where we make the elements we will use for the repeating pattern
01
02
Make a CircleThe follwing steps will show how you can make easy pattern motifs from a simple circle in illustrator So firstly make a circle
RepeatingPatternIn the following tutorial I will show you that it is not a matter of Photoshop vs Illustrator But rather they complement one another I wouldnrsquot be surprised if Adobe mesh these two programs as one one dayI bet every designer has wondered how repeating patterns were made Traditionally they can be tedious and time consuming But digitally its a sinch
Keyboad shortcut for the elipse tool will be very handy the more you work in illustrator
TIP L
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
creative class
48 psd Photoshop
Rotate DuplicateNow get the rotate tool and reposition the little registration circle that appears when you select this tool to the edge of the smallest curve hold alt option and rotate yoursquoll have a duplicate Now for the magic press cmdctrl d to see a simple graphic become a beautiful flower
04
05
Reflect n UniteAlternatively from step three you could make a leaf Select the Convert Anchor Point tool and click once on the right most anchor point It will make it pointy Now select the releflect tool and reposition the registration point that appears on the left edge Now while pressing option alt click and drag towards the left adjust with the move tool if needed then use the pathfinder to unite these shapes Play around with the pathfinder until you have a desireable leaf shape
03
Drag Anchor PointDrag right anchor point with the direct selection tool ( not the black but the white arrow tool) Knowing how anchor points work are very useful across both Photoshop and Illustrator
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
repeating pattern
49psd Photoshop
Draw OnSelect the Brush tool and select either the Flower or Leaf and paint notice how they follow the shape of the drawn path
07
08
New PS DocNow its off to Photoshop Document size can be any size just ensure that it is a square shape
06
Art BrushNow to make a cool leaf flower brushselect either graphic and drag and drop it into the brushes panel an option box will pop up Select art brush and specify the above deails
If you keep the swatches panel close to whatever artwork you want to color and ensure the fill is active you can drag and drop color onto the closed pathsrsquos fills
TIP Color
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
creative class
50 psd Photoshop
Offset=RepeatGroup all the graphics [Cmd Ctrl G] and Merge [CmdCtrl E] and apply the Offset filter under Other
10
11
Toggle to CornersToggle the settings of the offset filter until you get the graphics to cover the corners of the document The offset filter is key to a seamless repeating pattern as it cuts out one edge and re-appears on the opposite edge
09
ComposeWhen composing the pattern within Photoshop try to design with a heirarchy in mind it will make the end pattern look better also ensure to not touch the edges or corners of the document or else it will not repeat A way to compose is via the Free Transform tool [cmdctrl T]
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
repeating pattern
51psd Photoshop
Define PatternMerge the the pattern design in one layer exculding the background Select the merged layer and define the pattern via the Edit Menu name the pattern
13
14
Apply the PatternMake a new layer and fill it with any solid colour Double click on this layer apply a pattern overlay and select the pattern you have just made Play around with the scale slider and see how it seamlessly repeats
by Zena Santos
12
Fill and RepeatFill in the rest of the white and space and repeat Steps 11-12 until desired design is achieved
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
We always dream about seeing the beauty of nature so I always visit various galleries from great artists and photographers on the internet Irsquom always inspired by their artwork so I decided to make a manipulation of a beautiful landscape In this tutorial you will learn to make your photo manipulation look like one natural photograph The important thing is to keep on practicing to enhance your skills as an artist
Tree House
beginer | 15-30 min adobe photoshop CS3
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
tree house
53psd Photoshop
Step 1Open the TreeField stock image in Photoshop (This will be your base) After that open the Sky stock image and drag it to the base using the Move Tool or press [V] Adjust the size of your base image to 1600x1200 or whatever size you want for your image To adjust it click Image then change the width to 1600 and the height to 1200
02
Step 2Align the images between the field and the trees Change the layer of the Sky stock image from Nor-mal to Darken I used 100 for the Opacity and Fill levels If you want to make it a little bit lighter you can adjust it to a setting between 95-98 opacity Erase the excess sky on the trees using the Eraser Tool (Press [E])
01
Sour
ce F
iles
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
creative class
54 psd Photoshop
Step 4For the final step use Actions to make the colors of the tree field and sky more even You can download Photoshop Actions from the internet I always use Photoshop Actions on my images because it really helps my photographs become more colorful You can also adjust the color of your images by changing them in Color Balance [Ctrl]+[B]
by Katrina Gonzales
04
03
Step 3Open the stock image of the dandelion field and press [E] to erase the tree mountain and sky Drag it to the base using the Move Tool Align it between the trees and the field If there is still excess erase the top of the field to make it more natural like a single photograph
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
I chose this tutorial because often times some tutorials in magazines are a bit difficult for newbies I wanted to offer something that Anyone could do ndash even my eight year old son Its important to feel successful at something when learning and I hope this tutorial will give you that Expect to try a few times until youre happy with it Dont stress ndash just create and remember to have fun The most important thing I tell people is learn to train your eye Read art magazines ndash look at a lot of paintings ndash why Because this will help train your eyes in color and placement ndash depth of field and so much more I hope you enjoy this one
Mystic Harbor
beginer | 2 h adobe photoshop CS4 | cintiq wacom tablet
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
Mystic Harbor
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
photomanipulation
58 psd Photoshop
Step 1Background picture from fotolia ndash as your main layer Pick something that has good resolution and depth I love ocean settings so this one suited me nicely
01
02
03
Step 2Duplicate Layer and make color balance adjust-ment to your liking Play with the settings until you have the warmth and tones you like I wanted something here that was warm ndash yet at the same time had a cooler mysterious feeling to it The color balance is just the tool to help me with that effect Be careful not to overdo it ndash slight adjust-ments for this kind of thing is usually all you need
Step 3Add Curves Adjustment Layer to add more drama to the picture (darken tones and bring out sky) Bring down the S curve to add darkness ndash you can see how immediately this will add a lot of great contrast and give you some very dramatic effects with the sky One of my favorite tools
Source Files
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
mystic harbor
59psd Photoshop
Step 4Add Boat Layer (mask out or erase ndash which-ever you prefer) bottom half of pic so that the boats mesh with the underlying layer I would recommend masking if youre a newbie ndash add layer mask reveal all And with a low opacity black brush start masking out those areas of the boat picture that dont work for the scene Like the brush in frontremember though you can leave a slight trace if you do it correctly ndash then it can add an almost kind of texture to your image as you see here in mine Just a little though because this is not really considered a textured art piece
04
05
06
Step 5Add Cloud Pic ndash Gaussian Blur until well blended and then set to soft light I usually Guassian blur something like this to the max it wil go and then move it around to give it the right tone contrast and light effects See what works for you ndash you might not want to Guassian Blur as much Start with a low number and move up to see the differ-ent effects it can give
Step 6Add Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash we want to play with some more tones here I wanted even more color so I added this adjustment If Im happy with it but still not perfect I leave it alone here and move on to another color adjustment ndash to make sure I dont lose the progress Ive made When you find you are at a good spot with color ndash STOP ndash and go to another adjustment to continue on This way you insure you wont lose permanently the color choices youve made and are happy with
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
photomanipulation
60 psd Photoshop
Step 7Add yet another Color Balance Adjustment Layer ndash final one A tweak here and a tweak there and Im satisfied If there are parts of the adjusment you dont like remember ndash you can use a low opacity black brush and take those areas out with mask-ing This is always reversible by painting over it in whiteremember
07
08
Step 8Add Curves Adjustment Layer (Hide All) and bring out with white brush low opacity those areas where you want there to be more light cast Go easy here but if you feel still not enough light = then up the opacity of the brush and go with a larger soft edged brush See if that brings out more of the sky for you The hide all feature is such a great way to add things with adjustment masks ndash color light everything This is a very simple manip ndash and i hope it helps you to learn a few new techniques
by Claudia McKinney
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 2 h adobe photoshop CS2
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
secret place
63psd Photoshop
2Making a New DocumentI prefer to work on a 1300px x 2000 px canvas because when you finish your work and resize it to something smaller your small mistakes will disappear because the image will lose some quality as it shrinks After making new document and opening all the stock images yoursquoll need move them to your canvas To begin your first composition lower the opacity lev-el of your stock images and move them around and play with resizing options rotation and anything else you want to do This process is something like sketching down our first ideas as we put together our concept At first change the opacity of the stock image featuring grass and flowers to about 30-40 and move it to the bottom of your layers panel Now we have an idea of where wersquore going a bit of composition
Secret Place1Choice of StockWe have to look for stock that is easy to cut and manipulate with good con-trast and lighting I know itrsquos hard to find the perfect one but itrsquos also a funny process because some stocks can inspire you even further Secret Place is about a lonely girl who is doing what she likes swinging
To portray sadness I was looking not for the swing but for a model who had a sad face Itrsquos not hard to find perfect stock images when you know the exact type of stock you need The girl for this piece had to be lonely sad and abandoned To portray loneliness I decided to look for a deep forest because forests have something magical about them and therersquos a great sense of si-lence to them so you can relax and think about several things while yoursquore alone I thought that pairing the swing and the sad girl together with a forest would look wonderful
Irsquove picked these images to use
Usually I get inspired from my own feelings for example my dreams memories or when Irsquom missing somebody My favourite work Secret Place was one piece that came from my own experiences I have spent a lot of time on swings with my best friend Rose and have been swinging on my own lonely since losing her I decided to make a piece of art featuring swings with solitude as the theme since thatrsquos also my favourite subject An important thing for me while Irsquom creating art is to show deep emotion and make the image realistic-looking I must say itrsquos hard to create a melancholic atmosphere I find that atmosphere well-shown feelings and great colours are the most important things in art
Sour
ce F
iles
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
photomanipulation
64 psd Photoshop
3BlendingManipulating and blending images together is the thing I like the most Whenever I need to cut out and blend stock images itrsquos a challenge for me I get more experience whenever I blend I always have to think about ways to cut the images or come up with ideas for how to blend or hide somethingTo blend images together I usually use masks I find masks to be very comfortable tools Itrsquos easy to edit our blending we can change anything whenever we want Itrsquos not like the Eraser Tool when you want to change something after two hours of work itrsquos almost impossible to do quickly
Make a new mask with your grass stock Therersquos a button at the bottom of the layer panel (You can also go to LayergtEnable Layer Mask A small white rectangle will appear on your stock layer press itTo blend large images I usually pick a large soft brush (Hardness set to 0 and 300px) and set it to black Next paint over your grass stock As you do you should notice that the black brush is working as an eraser If you would like to change something (For example blending) change the colour to white
Now hide the unnecessary area of grass like this
Set the opacity of this layer to 40 and hide the grass from the girlrsquos body and the swing Change your brush to about 15px and the hard-ness to about 75 Zoom in at least 300 and start blending carefully It can take some time but the model need to be perfectly cut out When yoursquore done set the opacity back to 100 and look for mistakes then fix them with the white colour
4Blending the ForestNow itrsquos time to manipulate and blend our beautiful forest At first we have to move trans-form or resize the forest to see what will look best with the other stock images
Open your forest image and move it onto the canvas I resized and moved mine around until it was the way I wanted it At this time we must repeat Step 3 We must blend the forest and girl together Create a layer mask and set the opacity to 40 on the forest layer Start blending with the black brush (hardness 75) Do not blend the chain wersquoll do that later Blending images together isnrsquot a very nice experience unless you know how to blend them wellWhen we are done duplicate the layer to be safe and hide it (click on the eye next to your layerrsquos name)
Take a large soft brush (Hardness 0 350px) and start blending the forest with the grass The result must be soft Here we can see that the image doesnrsquot look that good We need do something with these areas [Img9jpg] I think the best way to make it better is to use the Stamp Tool I copied fragments of grass stock Take the Stamp Tool and click on the grass layer copy some grass and fill in your holes until it looks something like this
5Setting the Colour of the ForestItrsquos hard to chose the correct colour for your artwork because there are so many sets of colours I wanted to make this scene magical and was wondering whether to use blue orange or green Finally I decided to pick a sharp warm shade of green which I think turned out to be a good idea The green colour is nice on the eyes and can help the viewer relax As you know we can change our image colour in different ways depending on what result we want to achieve Doing this piece I used several Variations because this tool is easy to use and you can see the final effect immediately Before each step I usually duplicate the layer and hide it so I can go back to it later By doing this whenever you want to go back to your original imagelayer yoursquoll always be able to To use Variations go to ImagegtAdjustmentsgtVariations In these small thumbnails you can see your layer in various different colours Now click on the yellow colour three times
Go back to your Blend Modes and choose Gradient I pick out a warm yellow (e6cb6c) Set your gradient to Line scale it to about 108 with a 90deg angle Set this layer to Blend ModegtColour and change the opacity to 50 As you can see the forest and the grass have the same tones now Setting the same colours and tones to your images is another form of blending
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
secret place
65psd Photoshop
6Blending the ChainI think this is the hardest step of all You need a lot of time and patience to blend this chain well Of course you can also download chain brushes from somewhere or stamp in parts of the chain I like experimenting and getting more experience so I did it manually without us-ing brushes or the Stamp Tool It took a long time but now it looks great Turn on your forest layer set the opacity to 40 and click on mask Choose a black brush with a hardness of about 80 sized at 4-5px Now you have to be careful
Start blending the chain if you have a tablet the process will be faster I know itrsquos hard boring precise work but by doing it this way the final effect will look more natural than for example using a chain brush When finished zoom in about 200 and look for mistakes then zoom out to 100 and see if it looks good If so move on to the next step
7Lights and ShadowsWell-done lights and shadows are the most important things in art If you want to make artwork look realistic you have to set these correctly Light should be in the middle of the work so our eye will keep looking at the piece longer because it will be more interesting Look at the forest stock Therersquos really strong light already Letrsquos use that light and make it more powerful Everything I do goes onto a new titled layer I like having everything in order Set your brush colour to white and load some lightrays brushes from the stock pack Look for one good brush I used this one but light from the top of forest should have a different angle
Go to EditgtTransformgtHorizontal and resize its height Some of this ray should be on the head of the girl as well After that go to FiltergtBlurgtGaussian Blur and set the radius to about 3px (Before it was too strong and sharp) Now go back to your swing and model layerand duplicate it [Ctrl]+[J] then choose the Dodge Tool Set the Dodge Tool to fight shadows and exposure at about 20-30 and start making model lighter such as I did on image below
Set the burn tool exposure to 20 and make little shadows on her stomach near her knees and onher face With lights and shadows this image looks much better
8Making the Model BetterI was thinking about what I should change with my model I thought that longer hair would look better personally I like long dark hair Next I wondered how to add some hair Should I should paint the strands or use brushes I decided to look for a good pack of hair brushes It wasnrsquot hard to find there are so many types of brushes to choose from Now that we have our brushes make a new layer titled Hair and load the hair brushes from our stock pack Set theforeground colour of your brush to light brown and the background to dark brown then brush some hair onto your layer and switch colours making something like layers By doing it this way our hair will look more natural because itrsquos normal to have highlights When yoursquore done take a soft eraser and delete some parts of hair to create a soft blend between her original hair and the brushes Set the opacity to 50 and delete the hair from her face then go back to 100 opacity
Now you can see that her face and the top of her head are a little greywhite Make a new layer then choose a soft brush and warm brown colour Personally I used 866b3b Brush her face then go to Blend Mode and set the layer to Soft Light Next make another new layer and pick 583e10 then paint the top of her head set the layerrsquos Blend Mode to Multiply and give it an opacity of about 40-50 whatever you like
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
photomanipulation
66 psd Photoshop
9Final Colours and EditingFinally we have a perfect scene Everything is blended correctly so we are almost done Letrsquos make our image more colorful Colour is the second-most important thing when we are creating art because we have to decide which one and what tone then choose blending options etc As I said before I decided to make this piece a lively green It should make our work seem magical and mysterious Go to Blending Options and click Color Overlay Look for a warm yellow color again (d8c43a) then press ok Set the Blend Mode to Soft Light and the opacity to 50 Now our picture is warm and easy on the eyes We can see that the forest is more yellow and the grass is greener To fix this go to Blending Mode again and choose Gradient Using the same colour set the Blend Mode to colour and the opacity to about 50 Go again to Blending Mode and choose Selective Colour
At the top you can see the names of various colours such as green yellow white etc We want our picture to be more yellow and less green Click Green and make it more Yellow (65) then set the Cyan to 55 I wonrsquot detail all the settings I used you have to try them out on your own Choose the colours you like the best be a little self-dependent Do several experiments with this tool because Selective Colour is a really interesting and helpful tool whenever you need to change your colours
Finally one thing I donrsquot like is this strong light so letrsquos change it Make a new layer and take a hard brush and Copy the color from the top of your forest and paint something like this
Next go to Blur Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about 95px Set your opacity to 45-50 I think it looks better now If you want you can crop this image and make it smaller Personally I usually crop and resize to reduce the size of my artwork once Irsquom finished everything else
by Aleksandra Gładykowska
Information and Credits for stock used
bull Swing amp Model by dazzle-stock httpdazzle-stockdeviantartcomartDepressed-95857052
bull Forest by umbradenoapte-stock httpumbradenoapte-stockdeviantartcomartStock-10-80055109
bull Nature Pack by resurgere httpresurgeredeviantartcomartPackage-Nature-2-8563778
bull Hair Brushes by falln-stock httpfalln-stockdeviantartcomartHair-Brushes-Set-6-92731728
bull Light Brushes by redheadstock httpredheadstockdeviantartcomartLight-Beams-Rays-Brushes-72493128
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
Masquerade the wonderful and merry stranger in a mask I used rich colours for this picture Spared the special attention to the shallow details on clothes
Masquerade
medium | 4 days
adobe photoshop | wacom intuos 3
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
masquerade
69psd Photoshop
Step 1First I made a photo of the girl specially for this idea Also has cleaned a background
02
03
Step 2On new layers has added a mask and a red curtain On a curtain I have made light and a shadow For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
Step 3We clean on a photo some fragments of a black dress ( erase shoulder straps of a dress) For this purpose it is necessary to use the Toolbox Clone Stamp Then using the Dodge tool we do patches of light on a body Then on a tablet I have drawn the sketch of a dress and a contour of hair
01
Sour
ce F
iles
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
digital painting
70 psd Photoshop
Step 4I have drawn hair on a tablet I drew on several layers used a soft brush of a different transparency First drew dark sites of hair Hair should be different shades that the volume has turned out The ends of a hair to wash away the tool Blur Tool
04
05
06
Step 5When hair will be ready it is necessary to make a shadow on a mask(Burn Tool) on each side And to wash away edges of a mask (Blur Tool) Dress completely to paint over red color And I have improved color of a body have drawn an easy make-up
Step 6On a dress we draw light and shadows For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
masquerade
71psd Photoshop
Step 7On new layers we draw an ornament on a dress and curtains The layer with the Ornament of a dress should be slightly transparent (50-70 ) In a shadow the Ornament should be more dark and on light surfaces - should be more light
07
08
09
Step 8Background completely we paint in green color To make effect of light the left edge of a wall is done light and right (behind a curtain) is done more darkly For this purpose I used Toolbox Photoshop Burn Tool and Dodge Tool Then by means of the Blur Tool (50) it is necessary to wash away edges of a dress a body a curtain
Step 9From above a background on a new layer to add an ornament of a wall This layer should be transparent (30-50 ) On a tablet I draw fine details on a mask and shine of stones The picture is ready
by Alena Lazareva
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
A speed-painting is a rough concept that allows you to get several ideas out in front of a client in a short amount of time They can be as simple as a five minute sketch to something more difficult such as a four-plus hour detailed painting that conveys an idea andor mood within seconds of looking at it When yoursquore on a tight schedule it makes sense to not waste a lot of time working on one painting that may never actually be approved A concept artist will usually create several variations of an idea in that same amount of time through speed-painting This particular step-by-step process is just one of the many ways in which I work on a painting How I work usually depends on what Irsquom trying to accomplish so if the painting is supposed to be a final concept for a client Irsquoll usually work on several layers at once and pull out all the little tricks I know to get it done For this painting I just wanted to do something that was quick and relatively simple to a beginnerrsquos eyes so for the most part Irsquove kept things on just one layer and havenrsquot utilized too many of the various functions of Photoshop
Waters of Time
medium | 3 h photoshop CS3
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
waters of time
73psd Photoshop
Step 1I open up a blank canvas in Photoshop set at 3000 x 1280 at 300dpi and as quickly as pos-sible I cover the white by making broad marks of color across it with a standard round brush and a chalk brush (both of which come with Photoshop) Irsquom not actually painting anything yet I just want to get rid of the blank canvas and create some mood ndash a mood that should continue throughout the painting I do have an idea of what I want to paint at this point but itrsquos still a good (and fun) process to follow as the random brushstrokes can lead to ideas and take your work in a direc-tion you previously may not have considered In my head I want to do a classic lsquoepicrsquo landscape image something you might see in a video game or film where the camera pans back and you see the main character in a huge world full of potential and wonder I want people to be able to hear the music of the scene when they see this painting and inspire them which is an important part of what Concept Design is
02
03
Step 2I keep the canvas zoomed out so I can see ev-erything At this point I donrsquot want to get slowed down with details I make some broad marks to represent a waterfall flowing out of a canyon I try to keep the colors and general mood of the paint-ing cool at this point especially in the shadows as I know I want the sunlight Irsquoll be adding later on to be warm Warm light always creates cool shad-ows and vice versa
Step 3Keeping the canvas zoomed out I start to clean up and define the areas of interest in the painting I add a horizon line high on the canvas to empha-size the vastness of this environment Most of my attention is focused on the waterfall as I plan to make it the lsquostarrsquo of the painting I make my brush slightly smaller but still refrain from zooming in and over-detailing too early
01
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
speed painting
74 psd Photoshop
Step 4I switch over to a smaller detail brush and start to work on my edges again focusing most of my attention around the waterfall to lead the viewerrsquos eye there I quickly rough-sketch some small trees etc onto the island at the base of the water-fall as it was looking a little desolate
04
05
06
Step 5This step isnrsquot too different from the last one I continue adding more details like trees etc to give the environment more life I change to the Dodge and Burn tools found in the Photoshop Toolbox and use them with a very low opacity to darken the shadows of the canyon and brighten the waterfall to really make it pop off the page (screen)
Step 6I add a Color Balance Adjustment layer and play around with the overall mood of the painting I like the bright fantasy look for this particular image so I really play that up Itrsquos at this point that I also start getting a little closer into my painting and begin focusing on the small details Again most of my work is being done around the waterfall I add some bouncing light from the water to the inside of the canyon wall At this point I leave the paint-ing alone for a couple of hours Itrsquos always good to give yourself a break near the end of a painting so that you can come back and look at it with fresh eyes Usually with speed-painting you donrsquot have this luxury but I wanted to give this piece a more finalized look for the magazine
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
waters of time
75psd Photoshop
Step 7I come back to the painting and flip it over a few times (another trick for looking at a painting with fresh eyes and also useful for ironing out any perspectiveanatomy issues) The painting seemed a little boring with nothing in the fore-ground of the image and there wasnrsquot much that really sold the sense of scale that I wanted to create I quickly paint in a simple foreground ele-ment of a man standing on an adjacent mountain paying attention to my value scale (darker for elements closer to the viewer and lighter as you get to the horizon) Adding a figure immediately scales an image as we all understand what size a person should be It also pulls the viewer into the piece as a humanoid figure is something we can relate to in an otherwise extraordinary world I also paint in a couple of weird flying creatures with human riders this helps us understand the vast distance between the human figure and the waterfall more easily
07
08
Finishing touchesTo finish the painting I mess around with the contrast and brightness to really bring the image to life I add some photographs of rock textures onto a Soft Light layer over the canyon walls to give them some more detail and make them more interesting Lastly I flip the image one last time and decide that it works better with the waterfall as the focal point on the right-hand side In total this piece took me about three hours
by Travis Wright
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
medium | 5 h
adobe photoshop CS3
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
tools of the trade paintbrush
77psd Photoshop
Lineart and Base ColourYou can start with either a scanned sketch or with a freehand sketch done on photoshop I used a scanned in image and gave it a slightly feathered outline The first thing we do is fill in the main bulk of the colour with a flat background tone For this you can use a big fat brush
01
02Shading in the detailTo add the shading I usually like to use a softer brush just so I donrsquot get the jagged straight line I made a preset which also varies the thickness of the brush and opacity too I find it helps when I want to blend colours When it comes down to the actual shading technique it is important to remember where you want your shadow and where you want your light Work slowly and layer up different values of the same colour On top of your light base tone choose a darker value of the same colour and add it in the area of shadow I would advise using a relatively dark background when shading light areas Once yoursquore happy choose an even darker value and shade that in a smaller area of the shadow in this case the closest section near the material crease will be a wee bit darker Finally choose a value very close to black and use it sparingly on a very low opacity and just keep layering it
Tools of the Trade Paintbrush Itrsquos easy to create dramatic lighting and shading in a picture all it takes is a little time and some basic knowledge of light In this tutorial yoursquoll learn a few tips about shading to get that effect you want and see that itrsquos not so hard after all
Donrsquot be afraid to use layers actually itrsquos encouraged that way you wonrsquot run the risk of going over colours Just remember which layer you put everything on and name it
Tip
When shading material or anything I want to give a high amount of shadow to I like to remember that
1) Directly beside an area of high light will always be an area of deep shadow this way you make both light and dark stand out and show the extreme difference It also gives a nice almost ldquoshinyrdquo effect
2) If the light is a little behind the subject remember that some light will pass around it so remember to leave a small ldquoChannelrdquo of light right near the outline
Shading Tips
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
digital painting
78 psd Photoshop
Donrsquot leave it floatingFinally we have to bring everything to earth as you can see the character is floating in an endless black void we donrsquot want that itrsquos time to create a ground For filling in large areas I used a big fat fuzzy brush with a very low opacity so I can fade it out and add more colour where I want Here I used a reddish orange for the light shining on the ground Remember once yoursquore happy filling in the small patch where the light shines there is going to be a shadowFor this just used the eraser tool set it to a relatively hard brush and just methodically erase where the shadows would be remember that the ground is flat if the light is slightly above and behind then the shadow will come out at an angle
04
05
Finishing TouchesTo make the light a lot more vibrant Duplicate the layer put it on top and set it to Overlay The finishing touches were to create a layer right on top of all the others and create another radial gradient this time with the yellow and a transparent other colour Again erase some Shadow beams making these lighter and thicker in comparison to the first ones we made in step b) of Lighting
by Rasha Al-Najjar
03LightingbChoose the colour you want in the background and Foreground boxes and use the Gradient tool Set this to a Radial gradient so you get a circle of light Place this in the upper corner or anywhere you want For the purpose of this picture I wanted dramatic lighting at the top of the paintbrush Next I used the Layer mask option over the gradient layer I did this because it meant if I made a mistake I could easily fix it without having to re-do the gradient again The purpose of this is to erase parts of the gradient to make it look as if the paintbrush is actually Within the light itself remember that light is not a flat thing itrsquos actually very 3 dimensional Using the colour black and your paintbrush just erase away long thin Shadow beams behind the object closest to the light source
Remember that objects closer to the light source will cast darker shadows while those further will have lighter shadows
Tip
When an object casts a shadow and the light source is slightly above and to the back then the shadow will always be narrower closest to the base of the object and expand outwards
Tip
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
self exposure
80 psd Photoshop
after children and marriage we sometimes lose those beautiful and special feelings By giving women a chance to see themselves professionally processed I give them a chance to embrace themselves in their own skin
Rachel is primarily known for her Sirens work Sirens (branded after the strong beautiful and playful screen sirens of the lsquo40rsquos and lsquo50rsquos) is the trademark for her breathtaking series of photography for women Rachel travels the country with her trusted and equally talented makeup artist Catherine Crump seeing up to 50 clients per month
Rachel Stephens started shooting Sirens when she lived in Los Angeles CA in early 2004 She had an idea ndash a vision ndash of transforming everyday women into sirens She started simply by shooting her
A Siren is Born ndash Rachel Stephens
Who remembers Glamour Shots Remember The mall chain that would throw you in a feather boa put on the heaviest of stage make-up and snap photos of you in front of a school
picture background And despite its cheesiness factor women ate it up They LOVED it It gave the everyday soccer mom (who only donned makeup and dresses for special occasions and holidays) an opportunity to feel beautiful and special and sexy To feel glamorous Rachel is not Glamour Shots - not even close she has taken it to a whole new level What she offers her clients is a modern elegant and high-end experience that is nurturing non-judgmental and fun
I have a natural sisterhood with women and I found a way to use that to help women feel beautiful and special Rachel says eyes sparkling and full of inspiration As we get older and busier
It started simply enough ndash a woman with a photography hobby and a sincere love for women and self-empowerment But it quickly became much more Rachel Stephens is not only a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer She has been called therapist miracle worker philanthropist Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
a siren is born
81psd Photoshop
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
self exposure
82 psd Photoshop
friends in the living room of her 2-bedroom condo She even did all the hair and makeup herself working for trade building her portfolio and honing her craft Her friends would get a cd of digital images that she had taken and Photoshopped with the request that if they used the images for anything (ie friendster profile pictures etc) that she would receive a photo credit It was then faced with long lists of retouching requests from her subjects that she realized how integral knowing Photoshop was going to be Being a single mother finding the time or funds to go to school was not an option available to her so she scoured the internet for all of the information she could find Soon enough she was being contacted by strangers by friends of friends and they then talked to other friends and before she knew it ndash she was booking sessions and finally get paid for her hard work
I was teaching myself everything I could about photography lighting digital imaging makeup styling posing posing direction and most importantly retouching in Photoshop reminisces Rachel The old Hollywood glamour look just came naturally to me and is still a staple of my work
It was then that she decided that her art needed to be seen In Hollywood there is a large movie theater called the Arclight Home to many movie premieres the Arclight also boasts two art galleries in their high-traffic areas Rachel felt that this would be a great venue for her very first gallery show She contacted the manager of the theater and made an appointment to show him her work At this time Rachel didnrsquot even have a look-book nor a portfolio She scrambled to assemble some of her favorite and strongest images put together a portfolio and (very nervously) made her way to the theater not knowing what to expect After showing her book and meeting with the manager for all of 15 minutes her show was booked She had booked her very first gallery show Rachel was ecstatic
It didnrsquot hit me until I was in the parking lot after I left the meeting I was going to have my own show My art It was incredibly uplifting to go from taking pictures of girls in my garage not really knowing if
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
a siren is born
83psd Photoshop
I was doing it right to the curator of an art gallery booking my work in his venue I was going to be hanging my art on the walls of a space that boasted 40000 people per week through their halls Rachel laughs My show was up for eight weeks and I was told it was the longest-running show ever at the Arclight I used to pay for a movie ticket just so I could go sit in the hall and watch people look at my lsquobefore and after makeover portraiturersquo exhibit They would look at the lsquobeforersquo pictures then at the lsquoafterrsquo pictures back to the lsquobeforersquo picture and I would relish in their comments made to one another or the long sighs as if what they saw was romantic It was pretty amazing
Sirens was a hit ndash and Rachel was beginning to be recognized for the artist that she is
I had my pics done last night and I fell in love With mehellip says client Taryn I felt so beautiful when I left the hotel I felt specialhellip something I havenrsquot felt in a long time I felt that I was the absolute most gorgeous woman Rachel has ever photographed Rachel made me feel this way I never felt so included safe and beautiful before Rachel and Catherine felt like old friends to me
Sirens Tours hit a number of cities throughout the country each year ndash two cities per month (which means a total of 15 ndash 24 new Sirens each city) Rachel chooses her cities based on concentration of clients in the area client requests and personal preference - researching each city to find the ideal hotel that boasts the most unique luxurious suites that will suit her needs (from both a visual and hospitality standpoint) Sirens clients are to show up alone ndash no husbands boyfriends friends allowed This is a special time for just the client It is an all-inclusive session - a Sirens client should expect to be enveloped
in warmth and love from the moment she arrives to the time that she departs She will leave renewed with an almost-overwhelming sense of appreciation for being a woman for being sexy and glamorous for being herself She will love herself for who she is ndash and she will love Rachel for helping to show her how beautiful she truly is
Rachel is reaching out with Sirens in a philanthropic way ndash offering a complimentary package one per event to a breast cancer survivor Rachel knows the power of helping women who are struggling to see their own beauty ndash and how powerful a tool like a Sirens session and photograph can be Images are an incredibly powerful thing I have met women who have never felt sexy have never felt glamorous have never felt beautiful and I have changed that for them Rachel says I am always overwhelmed by the emotion that these women experience ndash they cry tears of disbelief tears of joy They laugh They canrsquot breathe Itrsquos such a gift to see what I am able to help them see in themselves I treasure it
Women contact Rachel every day to book sessions with the therapist miracle worker and philanthropist and Rachel handles this privilege with honesty love and respect Remember Rachel doesnrsquot just take photographs she changes lives And she wants to change the world One Siren at a time
by Amanda K Barnes
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
84 psd Photoshop
Edito
rrsquos C
hoic
e Li
na E
rikss
on
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
85psd Photoshop
Irsquom a 22 year old from Sweden who loves to paint especially when I started doing it on the computer Messing with sticky oil colours has never been my thing Irsquove been painting more or less since I was 17 but it wasnrsquot until 3 years ago when I started to use the comp and corel painter to draw that
I was hooked So I am still quite a noob and learn new things everyday When Irsquom not painting I study Digital Media Design at a university and I hope I can use my interest in a future occupation
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
86
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
Night Driver
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
self exposure
88 psd Photoshop
principal piece for itThe bridge-road light poles and some buildings I had to model some buildings Ive downloaded from the internetThe Shaders of the car are from Jeff Pattons site and all the others are I love sci-fi literature and movies like Batman XMen and film
noir Suddenly the opportunity arrivedThe car in the scene Id modelled for an advertising piece that was cancelled so I had the
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
night driver
89psd Photoshop
from the ArchampModels libraryI did the ilumination with target lights uniform diffuse and Spotlights (light poles)
I used mr Photographic Exposure Control and Final Gather in Mental Ray
The hue saturation buildings lights clouds and fog were made in Photoshop CS3
I hope you enjoy the end result
by Jomar Machado
httpwwwjomarmachadocom httpmachadojcgsocietyorggallery
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
0 psd Photoshop
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
psd Photoshop 1
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
thorn
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