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01
Make an amazing montage
Learn the tricks and skills you need to turn any portrait into a beautiful vintage composition
02
Vibrant edits with Elements 12
A stunning photographic eff ect made simple
03 An interview with a pro
A Q&A with a Photoshop pro uncovers how and why his work’s appeared on the global stage
04 Turn your sketches to vectors
Doodle anything you want and make it editable
05 Master real-media effects
10 pages of turning pictures into paintings
ISSUE 107 ON SALE 14 NOVEMBER!
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editing tool guides and step-by-step tutorials galore to get your Photoshop skills up to scratch. Kick off with a 10-page special (p12) showing you how to give your photos a painterly makeover. Turn your snaps into watercolours, sketches, oil paintings and more! Head over to page 30 to create a beautiful vintage collage inspired by yesteryear. With the recent launch of Photoshop Elements 12, we’re excited to get stuck into some of the latest additions (p48), and for a chance to win a copy yourself, trot to page 87 now! I’m always on the lookout for work to appear in the next issue, so drop me a line at [email protected] and your work might just make it!
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Q&A: Your
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Contents
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Expert interview
How one digital artist got his work on the global stageOn the disc
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6 pages on the latest Elements 12 and the chance to win a copy!
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Readers’ gallery
Our talented readers show us what they’ve got
10
Readers’ challenge
Some fantastic entries and a fantastic prize to be won
24
Tutorials
Your practical, step-by-step tutorials kick off here
12
Feature: Turn photos
into paintings
Don’t miss this ultimate guide to real-media effects
90
Q&A essentials
Your Photoshop and Elements questions put to our experts
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Top tips
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Top ten
Check out our top ten tips for digital painting
Essentials
TURN
PICTURES
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Replace colours
Change colour in an instant with this unmissable trick
70
Stylised landscapes
Merge two photos for a vivid, creative scene
78
Remove objects
Fix compositions for the perfect photograph
76
New to Photoshop? Check out our introductory guide
54
Turn sketches
to vectors
Doodle anything and turn it into an editable vector
52
Re-create traditional
fi lm effects
A guide to FilmPack4 and a special discount code
36
Re-create HDR
Use perfect photos for perfect Photoshop edits
48
Zoom burst in
Elements 12
Learn new techniques and create this stunning effect
24
Use brushes for
surreal composites
Master incredible scenes in this easy-to-follow guide
60
Make a stunning
panorama
Seamlessly stitch together photos for a perfect panorama
Tilt-Shift effect
Give your photos a toy-town effect
72
72
42
Vintage
collage
A step-by-step guide to retro fantastic
30
Surreal
compositions
Create this vivid masterpiece now!
24
30
Create a vintage
montage
Make this vivid composition using supplied resources
38
Paint with brushes
and fi lters
Make a beautiful scene by layering and painting
42
Design your
own poster
Be creative with great editing techniques from an expert
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Welcome to an inspirational round-up of great Photoshop
artwork created by none other than your fellow readers
READERS’ IMAGES
JL
Meana
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ JLMeana“I fi lled each layer with colour all with an Opacity setting of around 15%. The Smudge tool at 3px Size and 85% Opacity was applied across the surface of the image, varying the Hardness of the tool to outline the details.”
IMAGE
OF THE
MONTH
Horace
Camilleri
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ horcam“In this photo I wanted to dramatise the scene. To bring out the effect I used a combination of Gradient Fills and adjustment layers including Brightness/Contrast and Levels. A grunge texture was added to fi nish off the photo.”
Alternatively, you can email: [email protected] Create your own gallery online
PhotoshopCreative.co.uk
Upload your images to Facebook Search PhotoshopCreative
Tweet us your creative artwork
@PshopCreative
Get in touch
Send us your images now for the chance to appear in futures galleries
Jenny Laatsch
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Jennlaa
“I painted ‘Dragonfl y’ just for fun when I downloaded a free trial of Camtasia 2 for a speed painting video. I’ve always been a huge fan of drawing these beautiful little creatures and it seemed like the perfect subject for my fi rst attempt at a speed painting video. I created it using Photoshop CS4 and my Wacom Intuos4, and worked on it for four to fi ve hours.”
Bandula
Samarasekera
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/bandulabcomarts
“I used basic painting and colour corrections in this photomanipulation. I added shimmers, glows and light effects including gold highlights. A number of Photoshop tools were used to create the image, such as masking, Color Balance, clipping masks and the Smudge tool. The Warp Transform helped to bend the fi sh, while loads of retouching and editing went into the scales. ”
Marcos
Ramello
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ marcosramello
“I used Photoshop CC’s Oil Paint fi lter and Gaussian Blur to create this effect. I also found the Hue/ Saturation adjustment to come in handy for adapting colour.”
7
Photoshop Creative
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Start image
Matteo Franchetto
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Matteo_Franchetto
“I used more than 20 images as sources. To model the armour around the body of the penguin, I selected the parts needed using the Pen tool for more precision. Every part of armour is placed in its own layer. Some parts and smaller details were created by brushwork, or using texture. The background is done in the same way; using various sources and adapting these to the lighting of the scene.”
Bill Bonaros
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Billybon
“I started by cutting the beach from the stock photo using the Pen tool. I went on to cut out parts of the mountains from the same photo and put them under the beach. The balloons are in reality three copies. However, their hue is totally different. I also used brushes for the clouds and then I drew the waterfall.”
Brian Ibinson
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ brian.ibinson
“I photographed ‘Warm Summer Breeze’ in my local park and wanted to give it the feeling of a relaxing summer’s day. I chose to use a watercolour effect to give it softness. Using a drawing fi rst, and then the Smudge tool, I took the photograph and put this on top. For the photograph I used blurring, Curves adjustment, fi lters and then blending. ”
Alternatively, you can email: [email protected] Create your own gallery online
PhotoshopCreative.co.uk
Upload your images to Facebook Search PhotoshopCreative
Tweet us your creative artwork
@PshopCreative
Get in touch
Send us your images now for the chance to appear in futures galleries
Kevin Rowley
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/the-golden-fool
“The majority of this image is made up of stock photos pieced together in such a way as to capture
a snapshot of a fantasy realm. The fl ower stem, glass ball and everything in the glass ball were hand drawn. Nature can be a great inspiration to artists, regardless of media, style and genre.”
Thomas Lennon
www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/LittleTimmy
“My main objective with this was to create something a bit surreal and eye-catching. Focusing on the strength of the colours really made this image stand out. ”
9
Photoshop Creative
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READERS’ CHALLENGE
2 Kev Rowley
The Travel Agent
“This is a blend of three images from the challenge. After selecting and arranging them into a composition, trying to make it look realistic, I found myself staring at The Travel Agent.”
1 Adrian Schmit
Smiling Cyborg
“This is based on the portrait from issue 104, enhanced with other images, brushwork and several filters. It’s between a painting and photomontage.”
3 Kellie Bave
Tracking a Thief
“I used all of the images to create a futuristic touch screen computer.”
4 Andre Van Graan
Desert Beauty
“I did a lot of adjustments on different layers and then used filters to blur and sharpen the image.”
Challenge
entries
The best entries and
overall challenge winner
Readers’
Challenge
WINNER
Simon’s choice “Adrian’s image has an incredible amount of detail, making it really stand out from the crowd.”4
3
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Transform Photoshop into a digital canvas using these
fail-safe techniques for realistic media effects
D
igital art is a fantastic avenue forcreatives to explore, with a host of techniques and tools to help you make something to be proud of. But there
can be an issue with digital artwork. Unless a concerted effort is made, the results can lack the texture and tactile nature of real media. Now we said that an effort needs to be made. The good news is that even a small amount of effort can give a fantastic result. By getting clever with a combination of techniques, you can make amazing art.
Over the following pages you will discover the all tricks needed for emulating traditional art media. In researching these, we deliberately limited the equipment and
tools used. This means that whatever version of Photoshop you have, you will be able to follow along. Yes, CS5 and above has a bunch of shiny real media brushes all ready and raring to go, but if you have a different version, you won’t be left behind. Everything is created with a mouse and photos are used as the basis, so you don’t even have to be able to draw.
In addition to a general look at the best painting tools, we have four projects that create digital versions of popular mediums; namely oil, charcoal, watercolour and pencil sketch. We will share our tricks for re-creating them in Photoshop, helping ensure you get the best results every time.
SKETCH IT OUT
Use a small hard brush, or pick the Pencil tool to create a rough sketch. Don’t worry about being too precise; a few rough lines will help your image look all the more realistic.
TURN PICTURES INTO
Jo Cole
Being an extremely frustrated artist, with an inability to draw, Photoshop is a saviour
Simon Skellon
There’s something very satisfying about turning your family photos into paintings
Charis Webster
I love to draw and paint, so achieving cool effects digitally is a really great challenge
The experts…
13
You will
learn all
these skills
PREPPING
IMAGES
How to edit photos for painting and scanning tips
BRUSHES
AND LAYERS
Guides for controlling how a brush looks and using effects
PROJECT 1
PAINT AN OIL
LANDSCAPE
Combine brush control with filters for oil paintings
PROJECT 3
WATERCOLOUR
EFFECTS
Incorporate real brush marks for the ultimate real media image
PROJECT 2
CHARCOAL
PORTRAITS
Essential image edits to guarantee realistic charcoal effects
PROJECT 4
SKETCH
STUDIES
How filters can turn any image into a good-looking sketch
SCATTER THE BRUSH
If you increase the Scattering value from the Brush palette, you can rough up the edges of your brush and make it look more realistic. Uniform strokes are the hallmark of digital – real media is more random.
INTRODUCE TEXTURE
Once you have sorted the main image, be bold with large, sweeping textured strokes. Use the Texture setting from the Brush palette to make a defi ned pattern and ensure the Opacity slider in Transfer is low for maximum effect.
KNOW YOUR TOOLS
You have different ways of applying paint in Photoshop, but all will use brush tips to give the fi nal effect. Here the Smudge tool was used to smear and blend splots of colour, with an oil brush tip for the buttery, smooth fi nish.
MIXED MEDIA WITH BLEND MODES
To add the fi nal fl ourish to your painting, scan in some real brush marks and use the blend modes to make them merge with your image. Adjust the colour with Hue/Saturation to make things just so.
On the disc
BUMPER BRUSH PACK
AND MORE ON YOUR
RESOURCE DISC!
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TURN PICTURES
INTO
PAINTINGS
A few preparation tricks to get your artwork underway
Just as a traditional artist might make some preliminary sketches or colour studies before creating a main image, there are a few tasks the digital artist can do to set themselves up for a more successful result. All of these can be followed whatever style you are working in, and will help ensure that you give your work the best start possible.
Expert tip
If you have scanned in a sketch and fi nd that the Levels command is picking up unwanted detail, use the Black and White command instead. Sometimes your scanner will pick up texture in the background, which the Levels adjustment accentuates. A quick whack of Black and White, however, and you can proceed with the Levels as normal.
Fix messy
scans
Transport sketches or marks from the real world into your digital world
Step by step
Scan in elements
Create your elements
01
We are going to scan in some charcoal marks to turn into brushes. The first task is obviously to make the marks,in this case charcoal on white paper. Use a pale background if possible. You can also use this technique to scan your sketches.
To the scanner!
02
Although scanning software differs, there is one thing you absolutely have to do. Look for the setting to dictate the resolution of the object you are scanning – put this to 600. That way you have a bit more flexibility in terms of editing and use.Edit for use
03
Open your scan and use Image> Adjustments>Levels in Photoshop or Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels in Elements to whiten the background and darken the sketch. Drag the white slider to the left, and the black slider to the right.CONSTRUCT
SCENES
Even if you are solely relying on a photo for reference, you don’t have to put up with what reality serves. Use the selection tools, copy and paste, plus some transform magic to construct the precise scene you want. In our example, the starting photo was okay but it lacked foreground interest. This was fi xed by selecting trees and fl owers from another image, and copying and pasting them. The Free Transform tool was used to get these pasted objects to the right size. Another sky was also added.
It doesn’t matter if the selections aren’t perfect or the objects a bit pixellated, as this will all be hidden with a layer of digital paint!
Part of the joy of painting with Photoshop is that you can play with colour in a way that is out of reach to traditional artists. Let’s say you have a daytime shot but you want to paint a sunset scene. Open up the Photo Filter command and apply a deep yellow or red fi lter. Job done! Maybe you are going to paint a portrait, but aren’t keen on the colour clothes the subject is wearing. Make a selection of the area and use Hue/Saturation to alter the colour. Once you have fi nished the painting, you might fi nd that it looks a little drab. Use the Vibrance command to inject some zing, or use Brightness/Contrast to strengthen the highlights or shadows.
CORRECT
COLOUR
15
Become accustomed to the best tools
Obviously there is a high amount of creative freedom when it comes to you actually making your painting, but there are also a few set skills and elements that you will call upon whatever type of image you are dabbling with. All of these will make an appearance in your work. You may only use one or two at a time, but keep them in mind and you can rest assured your work will shine.
BRUSHES
The key to a realistic effect is picking the correct brush. Photoshop and Elements ship with a raft of brush tips’ some tailored to media effects such as oil, watercolour and pastel. These, coupled with the tweaks that can be made should be all you need. If not, you can pick up free brushes online, or if you have a specifi c need, make your own.
LAYERS
An artist has to wait for paint to dry if they want to add paint on top of paint, but we get to do it instantly thanks to the Layers palette. In addition to isolating different areas on layers so they can be edited without affecting the rest of the image, layers also offer blend modes to incorporate texture and layer styles for special effects.
SET UP THE
CANVAS
A lot of artists will roughly block in a canvas with colour to avoid staring at a blank space, and you can do the same when setting up your document. Pick a colour that complements the overall tone of your image (red for warm scenes, blue for cool) and brush over at low opacity. Also use the Texturizer fi lter or Texture layer style to add a texture.
FRAMES
Create a mount by cutting out an area on a document and applying a small bevel. For a simple frame, use a big brush on a new layer over the painting, click on one corner, hold Shift and click in the opposite corner. Repeat for all edges.
FILTERS
Although Photoshop hasn’t got a fi lter that will instantly create a great work of art (and we have looked!), they work well for prepping a photo. The Artistic fi lters are a treasure trove for this, with Cutout and Palette Knife being the best.
SPECIAL TOOLS
The Smudge tool and the Art History tool (the Impressionist brush in Elements) can take colour and shape information from a photo and then translate the information into the effect of whatever brush is chosen.
MAKING SELECTIONS
Selections are great for building a start photo, or isolating areas for specifi c brushwork, colour tweaks or deletion (things don’t always go right!). And you don’t have to be too precise, because you can paint over any stray pixels.
“Try using brushes
as stamps. Instead of
sweeping them over the
canvas, click once to dab.
This is particularly effective
for giving the impression
of paint splats.
JO’S
EXPERT
ADVICE
15
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The brushes are
essential tools in your
digital painting quest, so
learn how to blend
them to your will
The brushes in Photoshop would be pretty smart on their own, but combined with the customisation options in the Brush palette, you have all you need to get the precise look you want. In addition to the obvious size and opacity options, you can play with texture, wetness, angles and more. If you have a graphics tablet, ensure you enable pressure sensitivity so you can adapt settings by pushing harder or lighter. For everyone else, get used to using the [ and ] keys to change brush size and keep the Brush palette open to make changes on the fl y.
Without texture With texture Without Scattering With Scattering Normal Size Jitter Angle Jitter Without spacing With spacing
CONTROL BRUSHES
IN ELEMENTS
Select the Brush tool in Elements and hit the Brush Settings button. Here you have sliders to control Fade, Hue Jitter, Scattering, Hardness and Roundness. You also have an Angle setting for adjusting the angle of a brush and enabling you to squish it. If you have a tablet, use the Tablet Settings area to decide how it is controlled. In addition to these, you can also adjust size, opacity and blend mode from Brush Tool Options.
“If you always use the
same brushes, create your
own brush set. Open the
Preset Manager and pick
Brushes. Find the ones you
SIMON’S
EXPERT
ADVICE
TEXTURE AND
TRANSFER
Use the Texture option to add texture to brushstrokes. You can pick the type of texture used as well as how visible it is. This is controlled with the Opacity Jitter slider in Transfer.
SCATTERING
This option is very important if you are emulating a charcoal, chalk or pastel effect, as by whacking the Scatter slider up, you can give the effect of using the charcoal or pastel on its side. Artists do this to quickly block in large areas.
SHAPE DYNAMICS
Two sliders really stand out in this set – Size Jitter and Angle Jitter. The fi rst alters the size of the brush as you use it. Angle Jitter alters the direction of the brush at the edges and is great for mimicking a splayed brush.
SPACING
The Brush Tip Shape option holds the Spacing slider. This compresses or separates the elements that make up a brush. If you want a light, random dab of a brush, whack this slider up. For a more intense brush stroke, bring it down.
TEXTURE AND TRANSFER
SPACING SCATTERING
17
Expert tip
In addition to applying blend modes to an entire layer in one swathe, you can use them for every brush stroke. In this image, we used the Smudge tool on a layer set to Linear Burn. The colour is intense and vibrant compared with the Normal mode.
Brush with
blend modes
Use layers for the ultimate real media effects
Although the vast majority of your time will revolve around the brushes you pick and how you use them, layers and layer styles will help take your work over the fi nishing line. Adding the look of texture and depth is the easiest way to trick the eye into thinking it is seeing a real, physical painting.
MAKE DETAIL STAND OUT
To make fi ne lines stand out, a traditional artist would use a thin brush and emphasise with a highlight or shadow. Do this quickly by putting detail on a separate layer and then use the Bevel and Emboss layer style set to Inner Bevel.
THICK MARKS
The Bevel and Emboss layer style is also a darling for oil or acrylic effects. Create a new layer above your image and add a Bevel and Emboss layer style, set to Pillow Emboss. Choose your brush and pick a colour that blends with an area of your image. Make a few brush marks and it will look as though it is raised.
BLANKET TEXTURE
The Filter>Texture> Texturizer command is always good for quickly adding texture over a whole layer or a selection. You can pick the type of texture to add and also control how obvious it is.
BLEND MODES
Layer blend modes are invaluable for building up a background texture (or any areas of texture, come to that). Get your texture in place and then work through them to see which one suits your image. How they work will depend on the colours in your image, but Multiply, Overlay and Soft Light are good ones to start with.
KEEP ELEMENTS SAFE
Isolate areas on layers so they can be edited later. You might like to separate areas out into layers, or have a fi nal one for freehand or detail work.
TIDY WITH GROUPS
If you have a long list of layers that relate to the same thing, select them by Shift-clicking and go to Layer>Make Group.
Photoshop Creative
17
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Create juicy, opaque, textured works of wonder
OIL LANDSCAPE
Traditional oil painting is a lot of fun that offers artists a range of possibilities. Oil paints can be diluted with turps to give a washy feel, but they are generally used opaquely. Oil paintings tend to be bumpy terrains, with layers of paint forming to give a crusty feel. You can mimic this look in Photoshop, but for a great project, print your digital oil onto inkjet canvas and embellish with real paint.
Sticking digitally, though, the Wet Media Brushes set houses good oil options. Angle Jitter in Shape Dynamics will emulate the choppy brush movement artists favour. Use the Brush Tip Shape for the oval shape of a fi lbert brush. Texture-wise, oils are known for being on canvas. Make sure you have bits of canvas showing, but only in some areas. Oddly, the less texture, the more realistic it is.
ALL HAIL CUTOUT
The Cutout fi lter is perfect for simplifying photos to get them ready for over-painting with oil effects. Because oils are so wet, an artist has to wait for them to dry slightly before progressing. A usual workfl ow is a roughing in stage with very weak oil to block in tonal values, and then overlaying this with a thicker layer for more detail. The fi nal touch is to bring in the detail.
The Cutout fi lter is a good way to replicate this process, as you can set up your photo for each stage. Then, by forcing yourself to paint in separate layers in your document, you will fi nd that detail from lower layers show through where you have missed parts on the layer you are currently working on (and you will miss bits!). This helps give a feeling of depth.
FAKE REAL BRUSHES
Amazingly, the brushes used by oil artists can all be faked in Photoshop. The Filbert brush (sometimes called a Cat’s Tongue brush) is great for building up texture with dabs and can also be used on its side for a thick and thin effect. Use the Light Oil Flat Tip brush from Wet Media, and select the Brush Tip Shape Angle device to squeeze into an oval.
An artist’s fl at brush is used for blocking in large areas and can be replicated in Photoshop with the Square Brush set. Pick any of them, increase the Scatter slider from Scattering
slightly, add Texture and turn Wet Edges on. Round brushes are good for detailed areas
After
TURN PICTURES
INTO
PAINTINGS
Before
VISIBLE TEXTURECreate a new layer and add texture with the Texturizer fi lter. Use blend modes to sink it into the image.
DABBED APPLICATION
Oil painters tend to dab at the canvas. You can mimic this by making an oval brush and keeping your strokes short and ‘stubby’.
BUTTERY EFFECT
It’s tricky to get the precise look of really thick oil paint, but one way is to make a new layer, add a Pillow emboss layer style and then using a suitable colour, brush over small areas of the image. Keep this small as it can quickly look fake.
19
Get the dark and dramatic effect of
charcoal without the mucky hands
How to simplify a photo for charcoal portraits
Step by step
Prep a photo
CHARCOAL PORTRAIT
Charcoal is a lovely medium but man-o-man is it messy! It is therefore good to know that a very realistic charcoal effect can be achieved in Photoshop. Because charcoal is so soft, any photo you are working from needs to be heavily simplifi ed. Then it is a case of setting up a strong texture for the canvas and getting the brushes ready. The Natural Brush set offers a good range of tips; drop Spacing, increase Scattering for blocking in areas, set
Texture and play with Transfer for how light or dark you want the effect to be. Artists hold charcoal on it side for big blocks of colour, which can be handled by the Scatter option.
Charcoal images usually have areas of smudging, either deliberately or because a hand has inadvertently smudged something. Simply scan in real charcoal marks and incorporate using blend modes for the ultimate realistic touch.
Isolate your subject
01
Charcoal portraits are usually on a plain background, so make a rough selection of the subject. A simple Lasso will suffice. Copy and paste onto a new layer and turn off the Background layer.Quick tidy
02
If any areas were missed, pick the Eraser tool to get rid of them. This can be quite rudimentary because any mistakes can be sorted. Convert the image to black and white.Bump up the contrast
03
Most filters work best with a decent amount of contrast. Either use the Brightness/ Contrast command or pick Vibrance. Keep tones, but aim for deep shadows and bright highlights.The filter
04
Duplicate and go to Filter>Artistic> Palette Knife. This softens the edges. As a general rule, go for a Stroke Size: 45%, Stroke Detail: 3 and Softness: 8. Transfer to the canvas.Make brushes
1
Turn hand-drawn scribbles into digital, usable brushesBuild your scenes
2
Build the perfect start scene to create a painterly pictureBrush presets
3
Discover the real power of the Brush tool and its variablesPrepping a photo
4
Why prepping your start photo can make for easy paintingPaint texture
5
Add texture to brush strokes for realistic oil-painted effectsPRACTICAL
SKILLS YOU
WILL LEARN
5
After
Before
CHARCOAL SIDEThe hair was created with a large Scatter setting, to give the impression that the area had been blocked in by a piece of charcoal on its side.
DETAIL MARKS
Reduce Scatter to bring in the suggestion of detail. A crosshatch effect is nice to have in areas.
SOFTNESS
To emulate how an artist smudges charcoal, either with their fi nger or a smudge stick, select an area with a high Feather and apply Gaussian Blur.
Photoshop Creative
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Combine real brush marks with digital for
a watercolour marriage made in heaven
WATERCOLOUR EFFECTS
Achieving a realistic watercolour effect in Photoshop is like chasing the Holy Grail, and while we would love to say we cracked the code, it didn’t happen. To achieve the whole gamut of watercolour effects, you have to use brushes created with a real brush and real watercolours.
Most watercolour paintings start with water being brushed over the paper and then colour
being added. This results in softer colours, with more intense colour in some places where the paint has pooled. Watercolour can also be used with a drier brush, and because the paper is usually rough, the paint skims the top, giving wonderful texture. Most watercolours are simple in their shapes, so don’t get caught up with trying to capture minute detail.
Pick your brush
01
A good hive of watercolour brushes is the Natural Brush 2 set. Pick a watercolour one, open the Brush palette.Spread out
03
Watercolour paint spreads, so go to Shape Dynamics and increase Size Jitter. Go to Scattering and increase Scatter.Brush shape
02
Click on Brush Tip Shape. Drag the Spacing slider to 0, to avoid drag in the brush strokes.Lovely texture
04
Pick a texture in Texture, go to Transfer and increase Opacity. Finally turn Wet Edges on.Step-by-step
Create brushes
for watercolour
Expert tip
Don’t be tempted by the Watercolor fi lter. Your best bet is the Sumi-e fi lter from Artistic. This softens a photo and adds subtle bleed. Now couple with some enhanced Watercolor brushes for a killer real media combination.
Start with
fi lters
After
SOFT COLOURS
Watercolour paints dry pale. Achieve the same by using a brush with low opacity.
“Use brushes at the
largest size you can,
always with a low opacity.
Overlap in places to give the
impression of watercolour
CHARIS’
EXPERT
ADVICE
Before
NO HARD BLACKYou rarely see deep, dark black in watercolour paintings. Instead artists mix blue, red and brown to get a dark colour. You can just pick a dark blue or red.
REAL AND DIGITAL
Most of the colours here were added with a digital brush, but we also used scanned in elements from real watercolour.
ERASE FOR WHITE
For highlights, artists will either use acrylic or more often, leave parts of the paper unpainted. Use the Eraser with one of your brushes to erase back to the canvas.
21
Oil painting
1
Make an impressive oil painting with colour, texture and fi ltersCharcoal
2
Make a beautiful charcoal portrait of a loved one with key skillsWatercolour
3
Simulate the subtlety of watercolour from an originally busy photoSketch effects
4
Master digital sketching for realistic graphite artworkBlend modes
5
Discover how blend modes play an important rolePRACTICAL
SKILLS YOU
WILL LEARN
5
USE MASKS
FOR COLOUR
It’s nice to include colour in sketches, and it’s easy with a photo. Have your photo layer on the bottom, your sketch in the middle and then a duplicate of the sketch on top. Turn off the original sketch, click the top one and click the Add Layer Mask icon. Pick a small Hard Mechanical brush from the Basic Brushes set. Click on the layer mask and using the movements you’d make with a pencil, scribble over areas to reveal colour.
GO BLACK AND WHITE
Most sketches are in monochrome, so convert your photo to black and white initially. Choose a setting that offers a lot of contrast.
GOOD BRUSHES
Brush selection is simple for a sketch effect. Either use the Pencil tool (it sits with the Brush tool) or open the Basic Brush set and pick a small Hard Mechanical brush.
MAKE THEM MARKS
Incorporate traditional marks in your image. Crosshatch is a classic mark made with the pencil.
ERASE AND REPLACE
Instead of having lines go all the way to the edge, use the Eraser to cut into the image and then on a blank layer, draw some lines back in. Don’t be too accurate – just give the impression of a work in progress.
Before
After
Combine auto commands
and filters for graphite art
SKETCH STUDIES
We’ve all created a pencil sketch of some sorts at one stage in our lives, so this is an easy one to get to grips with. You don’t have to worry about texture, and a lot of the effect can be handled by Photoshop; you just have to control sliders. But for the best results, you need to roll up your sleeves and go freestyle. A pencil sketch has clear characteristics. If a large area is to be covered, you need to mimic a pencil being used on its side, or get that darker colour caused by marks overlapping. Move your mouse or stylus in the same way as you’d use a pencil and you won’t go far wrong.
TWO TOOLS IS ALL YOU NEED
For a really quick sketch effect, go to Filter> Other and select High Pass and then Image> Adjustments>Threshold. Move the slider to see the detail.
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START FROM SCRATCH
01
Starting a new painting is easiest with a solid plan and a sketch to work from. Before beginning, take some time to think about the composition and overall direction. Sketching a series of quick thumbnails could be helpful in generating ideas. Then, work out the kinks in a sketch to give you a clear starting point.SLY SELECTIONS
05
Selections can be made in a number of ways, such as with the Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools. For creating smooth lines in a painting use the Pen tool to draw and apply strokes to its path (Photoshop CS and CC versions only).EXPRESS WITH COLOUR
02
Colour is a fundamental part of painting, and is especially important in conveying mood and creating a sense of balance. Focus can also be drawn to desired areas using colours that are vivid, or in contrast to the surrounding colour. For example, warm colours on a cool background stand out because of contrast.SMUDGING GENIUS!
04
The Smudge tool works in a similar way to the Brush, however instead of adding colour, the Smudge tool has the ability to push or pull existing colours around. Custom brush tips can also be used in conjunction with the Smudge tool to create a magnificent method for blending colours together.BLEND YOUR BRUSHWORK
03
Blend modes such as Overlay and Vivid Light are effective in producing rich colour and lighting. Multiply and Color Burn are great for darker areas such as shadows. Soft Light is great for adding subtle colour tinting.Get started as a painter with these
quick and easy tips
W
hether you’re just getting started or are already familiar with Photoshop, thesehelpful tips will guide you through some of the trickiest situations that we could encounter. We’ll go over the fundamentals of painting from scratch, starting from the beginning all the way to the finished piece.
Understand
digital painting
Need-to-know advice for creating
amazing artwork with Sara Biddle
09
POLYGONALLASSO
Make straight and curved selections using the Polygonal Lasso tool. Straight segments are made by default, but you can transfer to freehand just by holding Opt/Alt.
CLIP THAT LAYER!
07
Clipping masks are wonderful. On a new layer, fill the element shape with colour. Make a new layer, then Opt/ Alt-click on the line between these two layers to create a clipping mask. Anything on the topmost layer will remain confined to the boundaries of the base.THE POWER OF LIGHT
08
Interesting lighting can make all the difference regarding impression and mood. For instance, lighting from below often indicates mystery. Colour light sources can brighten things up and all can be tested on new layers.ADAPT PHOTOS
06
To incorporate a photograph into a painting, it’s important that the photo and painting are similar in value, colour and lighting. The sliders in Levels (Cmd/Ctrl+L) are very helpful in controlling values, and the Hue/Saturation (Cmd/ Ctrl+U) works wonders with colour. For the light source, a little over-painting on a new Normal layer can fix lighting quickly.TEXTURE AND MATERIALS
09
Realistic texture can be easily created with patterns or custom brushes. Shiny elements such as metal or moisture will reflect surrounding colour the most, so use the Eyedropper tool to gather colours from the object’s environment. The more reflective the surface, the more environmental colour will impact it.CUSTOMISE A BRUSH
10
Settings can be altered for how a brush tip behaves, or you can create your own custom brushes from scratch. Use the Lasso tool to select the area of an image to be turned into a brush tip. Go to Edit>Define Brush From Selection and name your new brush. Find it in the Brush Preset palette, then adjust the settings as you desire.07
10
CLIPPING MASK BASICSTo create a clipping mask from a layer, use a shortcut Opt/ Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+G for Photoshop, or Cmd/Ctrl+G for Photoshop Elements. You can also use Layer>Create Clipping Mask.
BRUSH OPTIONS
Brushes can be adjusted to your needs with Brush Presets (Brush Settings in Elements). For instance, Spacing controls the space between the brush marks, while Scattering controls the distribution.
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Essentials
Works with
What you’ll learn
Create a surreal image using custom brushes and the Dodge and Burn tools
Time taken
2 hours
Photoshop CS and above, CC & Photoshop ElementsUse brushes
for surreal
composites
Learn how to use simple techniques to create a complex
composition, combining images and brushes
Tutorial
Use brushes for surreal composites
Expert
Daniel
Sinoca
“Creating an eye-catching composition is sometimes easier than you think. You can accomplish complex tasks just using simple tools. I started to get involved in the digital world more than ten years ago and I’ve been working as a freelance artist ever since, creating all kinds of multimedia projects and writing tutorial guides.”
I
n this tutorial we’ll demonstrate how to use a variety of images and brushes to create a stunning composition. We’ll start with thebasics, creating a gradient background and then we’ll enhance the images using the lighting and colour adjustments. Another great technique used in this tutorial is adding shadows and highlights with the Dodge and Burn tools. We’ll also be calling upon custom brushes to apply over the image to add a dramatic effect. To supply the final flourish,
we will pay a visit to the layer styles. We created this in Photoshop Elements, but if you happen to be using Photoshop CS you have more professional features to go even further. When creating the water drops, for example, add an Inner Shadow and also modify the contours, trying different settings to create a more realistic effect. One of the secrets of a great composition is to use good quality images. You will find all the images and brushes to work with in the supplied files.
Set up the file
01
Go to File>New>Blank File or hit Cmd/ Ctrll+N. Name it Storm in a Tea Cup, setting the Width to 230mm and Height to 300mm. Set the Resolution to 300 then click OK.Make a gradient background
02
Grab the Gradient tool (G) and click Edit to open the Gradient Editor. Create a new gradient using the colours #000000 and #5a5a5a, set it to Linear and then click OK.Place the image
03
Go to File>Place, find the ‘Teacup. jpeg’ file and hit Place. Grab the Quick Selection tool (A) and, using a hard brush, select the background. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize Layer), and then press backspace.Are you a fan of the surreal?
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On the disc
Great brushes and start photos!
Start image
Custom brushes
1
When lightning strikes, the best way to create it is with lightning brushesDodge and Burn
2
Boost highlights and strengthen shadows with a great tool pairingSaving selections
3
Don’t loose your selection and have to start all over againModify Brush tool
4
Why settings like Jitter and Fade are essential variationsFree Transform
5
The perfect technique for quick scaling and rotationPRACTICAL
SKILLS YOU
WILL LEARN
5
Photoshop Creative25
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Save the selection
06
Grab the Elliptical Marque tool (M), set Feather to 0 pixels, and select the top part of the cup. Go to Select> Transform Selection and use the handles toadjust. Go to Select>Save Selection, name it Ocean, choose New Selection, and click OK.
Create the waves
09
Right-click on the Waves layer and choose Duplicate Layer. Grab the Smudge tool (R) set the Size to 125 pixels and Strength to 50%. Drag the Smudge tool around the edges to create some waves.Refine your selection
04
Go to Select>Refine Edge, check Smart Radius, change Radius to 0.2px, Smooth to 35, Feather to 1px, Contrast to 0%, Shift Edge to -25%, and Decontaminate Colors to 50%. Click OK.Insert image
07
Head to File>Place and select ‘Waves.jpeg’. Right-click the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize). Go to Select> Load Selection, on Source dropdown menu choose Ocean, check the Invert box and click OK. Hit backspace on your keyboard.Add brushes
10
Let’s load some brushes. Go to Edit>Preset Manager (CS users go to Edit>Preset>Preset Manager), click Append, and locate ‘Teacup storm.abr’ from the supplied files. Click Load and then Done.Relocate the image
05
Hit Cmd/Ctrll+T to open the Free Transform tool. Drag the image down to the bottom of the canvas, and check the Constrain Proportions box, set the Width to 150% and rotate the image around 2 degrees.Cut to fit
08
Press Cmd/Ctrll+D to deselect the image. Grab the Move tool (V) and drag the waves image down to create the idea of depth. Go to Select>Load Selection and choose the Ocean selection again, check the Invert box, click OK and press the backspace key on your keyboard.Enhance the waves
11
Create a new layer. Grab the Brush tool (B) and open the Brush Preset Picker. Choose the Splash brushes, resize and paint some splashes over the image. Use the Brush Settings to change the angle and the Eraser tool (E) to rub out the image.Tutorial
Use brushes for surreal composites
Expert tip
The best way to work with Dodge and Burn is creating a new layer over the original image. Hold down the Alt/Opt key and click on the Create a New Layer icon in the Layers palette. Enter a name, set the mode to Overlay, select the option Fill with Overlay-Neutral Color (50% gray), and then click OK. Select the Burn or Dodge tool (O), set Exposure to 10% and repeat sweeping movements over the areas you want to affect. This way you keep the pixels on the original image intact.
Using Dodge
and Burn
Dodge and Burn
17
Change the blending mode of the Clouds layer to Lighten. Grab the Burn tool (O), set the Range to Highlights, Size: 500, Exposure: 40%, and paint over to underexpose around the cloud. Select the Dodge tool and, using a smaller brush, paint to overexpose some areas.Bring the storm
18
Create a new layer name and name it Lightning. Now select the Brush tool (B) and open the Brush Preset Picker. Choose any of the Lightning brushes, resize and paint over the cloud image.Add clouds
15
Go to File>Place and pick ‘Clouds. jpeg’. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize). Grab the Polygonal Lasso tool (L), set the Feather to 10px, and select around the cloud. Go toSelect>Inverse and press backspace.
Adjust Lighting
16
Click Cmd/Ctrll+T to open the Free Transform tool. Rotate the image to -10 Degrees. Now click Cmd/Ctrll+U to openHue/Saturation, set the Saturation to -100. Hit Cmd/Ctrll+L to open the Levels, and set the Input Levels to 78, 1.00, and 255, click OK.
Place the boat
12
Head to File>Place and add ‘boat.jpeg’. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify (CS users choose Rasterize). Check the Constrain Proportions box and resize the image around 25%. Grab the Quick Selection tool (A), select and delete the sky.Eraser tool
13
Grab the Move tool (V) and drag the boat to the centre. Now grab the Eraser tool (E), choose a soft brush and a small size, and rub out the ocean part of the image.Dodge tool
14
Now grab the Dodge tool (O), set the Range to Highlights, the size to 200 pixels and Exposure to 20%. Paint over the boat image, overexposing a little at the top of the main mast.Are you a fan of the surreal?
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@pshopcreative
Expert tip
Click on Brush Settings to control your brush. The Fade option gradually reduces the brush strokes as you paint. Adjusting Hue Jitter makes the brush switch between Foreground and Background colours. Increasing the Scatter setting separates the brush marks in different directions. Spacing controls the distance between the brush strokes. Reducing the Hardness creates a stroke with soft edges. Angle and Roundness alters the direction and shape.
Modify your
Brush tool
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Layer style
19
Let’s add a glow effect on the lightning layer. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Click on Glow and check the Outer box, set the Size to 24px, click on the Color box, pick a light blue colour, set the Opacity to 75%, and click OK.Rainstorm
20
Create a new layer, name it Rain. Grab the Brush tool (B), open the Brush Preset Picker and choose the rain brush to paint over the image. Press Cmd/Ctrll+T to rotate and resize the image and use the Eraser tool (E) to rub out the borders.Add shadows
21
Create a new layer, name it Shadow and place over the Background layer. Grab the Elliptical Marquee tool (M), set Feather to 25px and create a selection almost the same size as the teacup plate. Fill with black colour, and change the layer opacity to 60%.Tutorial
Use brushes for surreal composites
Apply the layer styles to create realistic water drops on the image
Further treatment
Realistic water drops
You can use the Layer Styles window to create a variety of effects in Photoshop. Create a new layer and name it Water Drops. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Set the Lighting Angle to 45º Check Drop Shadow, set the Size: 3px, Distance: 1px and Opacity: 60%. Now check the Bevel, set the Size: 15px, Direction: Up, and then click OK. Change the blend mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 60%. Grab the Brush tool, pick a bush with a hardness of around 50% and start painting the water drops around the border and over the teacup plate.
BRUSH IN THE WATER
Once the right settings are added water droplets are simply painted on with the Brush tool.
LAYER STYLE SETTINGS
Within Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings you can edit specifi cs for effects like droplets.
LAYER STRUCTURE
As always, the order in which your layers are stacked is of the upmost importance!
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5
Share your collage tips
Tweet us
@pshopcreative
Create
a vintage
collage
Learn the techniques behind creating
your own vintage design, taking you back
in time on a nostalgic journey
On the disc
All collage images and ready-to-use brushes!
T
here is a lot of enjoyment in creating a mash-up collage. Ifyou want to provide a flashback to another era while exercising creativity, a collage made up of vintage elements is a versatile way to do just that.
A good collage should have a well thought-out composition with a sense of experimentation. It is a trendy way to construct whimsical and quirky juxtapositions of objects such as posters, album covers, stamps and portraits. Unlike photographic compositions, the variety and contrast of imagery in a vintage collage gives a unique, cutout look – the aim is to be abstract and creative. This tutorial will show you how to adjust your images for a collage, with some handy filters to give your image a vintage appeal using handwritten texts, illustrations, textures, patterns and more. You will learn how to adjust colour and contrast as well as working with blend modes for best results.
As a finishing touch we will call upon filters to mimic old-fashioned film grain. These techniques can be
applied to images that you can easily source yourself, such as old postcards, making this look as though it’s from of the 1950s.
PRACTICAL SKILLS
YOU WILL LEARN
5
Making patterns
1
With the Pattern Overlay Layer Style, creating impressive patterned effects is easyRealistic shadows
2
Create perfect shadows with some Brush tool trickery and essential Photoshop editsFilm grain
3
Vary the grain size and intensity for coolCollage borders
4
Layer texture for interesting bordersHalftone effects
5
A classic retro effect to add vintage charmStart images
Photoshop Creative
31
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Pattern making
01
Open ‘background.jpg’. Create a new layer and draw a rectangle with the Rectangular Marquee tool. Hit Opt/Alt+Backspace to fill with a colour of your choice. Double-click on the layer to open Layer Styles and select Pattern Overlay. Load the pattern file ‘stripe pattern’.Blend your images
03
Add a layer mask to the Grass layer. With a soft black brush, cover the edges to make it spotty and soft. Repeat this process for the girl in the foreground to hide the edges of her hair.Organise
05
Select the Halftone layer. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+U and move Lightness to 100. To stay organised, put the letter, palms, halftone, and striped bar in a group. Name the group Background Elements. Put the Grass layer, Car, Pin-up girl, and their shadow layers in a group named Car.Compile the composite
02
Open up the model, car, stamps, hibiscus, palms, flowers, bird, letter, halftone, and pin-up girl images. Paste them into the file on separate layers. To keep things organised, be sure to name the layers as you go.Add subtle shadows
04
Create a layer above the Grass layer. With a black soft round brush, paint a shadow under the car. Reduce the opacity of the shadow to 55% and pin it to the Grass layer. Repeat to create shadows for the pin-up girl, hibiscus flower, letter, and stamps.Grouping
06
Repeat step five to make a group using stamps, the model and the hibiscus. Call this group Foreground. Take a moment to rearrange the layers as shown for betterorganisation. Change the name of layers or groups by right-clicking in the Layers palette and selecting Layer Properties.
Tutorial
Create a vintage collage
Essentials
Works with
What you’ll learn
Use adjustments, masks, and brushes to blend a composite
Time taken
1 hour
Photoshop CS2 and above, CC and Photoshop ElementsExpert
Kate
Rose
“I am a freelance illustrator and designer in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a photomanipulator, my favourite aspect of Photoshop is the ability to transform photographs into magical images, merging the real with the surreal. It enables the artist to take pieces of reality and use them to create fantasy. The possibilities are truly limited only by the boundaries of a person’s imagination!”
Colour variation
10
Create a new layer on top of the stack. With a large soft brush, cover the layer with red, orange, yellow, and a little blue and green. Turn the blend mode to Color and reduce Opacity to 50%.Add adjustment layers
11
Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. Do not clip it to the layer below. Move the Hue slider to -10, and the Saturation slider to -40.Sharpen
12
Make a merged copy by hitting Cmd/ Ctrl+A, go to Edit>Copy Merged, and then Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste. Go toFilter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. For Amount, enter 130% and enter 8px for Radius and for Threshold enter 20.
Pin-up
adjustments
09
Repeat step eight for the pin-up girl. Drag the black slider to 48, and the white slider to 227. Essentially, this brightens the lighter tones and darkens the darker tones, increasing the overall contrast of the image.Letter adjustments
08
The letter in the background looks too washed-out and faded. Select the Letter layer and go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels, and clip it to the Letter layer. Move the black slider to 90 to deepen the darker colors and make the image more noticeable.Add more elements
07
Open the pattern palm images, and paste as shown. Repeat for ‘line art flower.jpg’. Turn the blend mode of each line art flower to Multiply, so the texture of the background shows through.Share your collage tips
Tweet us
@pshopcreative
Expert tip
There are several ways to achieve a grain effect. An alternative to the Noise fi lter is to add the fi lm grain texture. Go to Filter>Artistic>Film Grain. Here you can choose grain size, sensitivity and intensity. Size ranges from 0-20, but anything over 5 tends to become too pixelated. This fi lter works best with Intensity kept at a low value, and the highlight value can vary depending on the tonal range of the image.
Alternative grain
effect
Photoshop Creative33
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Apply image
13
With the merged layer still selected go to Image>Apply Image. Set the blend mode to Multiply and check the Mask option box. Set Opacity to 60%. You can check and uncheck the Preview box to see the effect this will have on your image.Create vintage-style grain
14
Create a new layer. Go toFilter>Render>Clouds. Then go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Leave the settings at default, but check the Monochromatic option box and hit OK. Turn the Noise layer blend mode to Soft Light and reduce the Opacity to 50%.
Add a grunge border
15
Make a new layer. Select white as your Foreground colour. Select the Brush tool and from the Options bar at the top of the screen load the ‘Torn_Paper_Edges’ brushes. At 100% Opacity, create a border. Stretch and resize the brush strokes to fit the length and width of the image.Tutorial
Create a vintage collage
Small alterations resulting in big changes
Closer look
Zooming in on the final effect
ADJUSTMENT LEVELS
Adding Levels adjustments, in addition to other adjustment layers, brings the images on layers below it together, resulting in a cohesive composition.
SHARPENING
Sharpening increases the contrast between neighbouring pixels, giving the effect of a more detailed and crisp image.
DESATURATE
Adjustment layers sometimes produce an overly saturated image. Combat this with a Hue/ Saturation adjustment level.
APPLY IMAGE
Apply Image (Image>Apply Image) is typically used to blend images, but can also be used to highlight and deepen shadows without adding saturation.
VINTAGE FILM GRAIN
One of the most beautiful aspects of vintage photography is the grain, giving the image a dark, gritty, highly texturised effect.
RETOUCHING DIGITAL PAINTING GRAPHICAL ART EXPERT TRICKS
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
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Re-create
HDR effects
P
hoto-based art can be anything from basic but captivating edits, like this vivid HDR treatment, to more complex compositions.The essential bit is getting the start photo(s) right! Firstly, not everyone has the opportunity to get up close and personal with a crocodile! But what happens when you want a great photo like that but don’t have one? Well, we’ve secured 100 royalty-free, high-quality photos from leading image,
illustration and vector supplier Fotolia (www.fotolia. co.uk). Download them from your disc and use them to test out your editing skills, or let them become the base of a magical montage. Get your imagination going.
To give you an idea as to how stock images can be used. Try out this HDR effect using the HDR Toning adjustment (available in Photoshop CS5 and above), follow along!
There’s nothing better than free images! Here’s how to transform a
stock photo into a high-def, captivating scene
Essentials
Works with
What you’ll learn
HDR toning and layer blending using free stock photos as the foundation
Time taken
30 mins
Photoshop CS5 and above and Creative CloudBefore
After
Tutorial
Re-create HDR effects
On the disc
SPECIAL!
100 free, high-quality photos from Fotolia!