Tabla de contenidos para No. 145 en Photoshop Creative

The Pen tool evokes mixed emotions from Photoshop users. Some love it, others loathe it; some shy away from using it, while others couldn’t live without it. Whatever your stance, there’s no denying it is an extremely versatile tool. And it’s really not difficult to master once you’ve learnt the basics. Turn to page 18 and discover just what the Pen tool is capable of, from making simple selections to illustrating incredible works of art. Also in this issue, we show you how to get more from layers, masks, blend modes, filters and brushes. Whether you want to make creative portraits or eye-catching photomanipulations, there are step-by-step guides to satisfy all your Photoshop needs, including an advanced tutorial on digital painting. Plus, we take a look at the most exciting…

There’s nothing more inspiring than surfing the internet and seeing what other artists are creating, and we encourage you to do so. Here are some of our favourite pictures that caught our attention recently, from some of the world’s most exciting artists and designers. Ari Weinkle ariweinkle.com The base of this artwork is a 3D render that I created. Photoshop helped me to enhance the brushed look of the image by using a combination of Surface Blur and colour correction. Christoffer Meyer www.kindnorway.com This is a composite of two images. The drummer was shot separately in a studio, masked out in Photoshop with the Pen tool, and then placed into the environment. Then some final adjustments with Curves were added to make him blend in perfectly. Lewis Moorhead www.flewdesigns.com This…

Adding and subtracting shapes 01 Create a rectangle Once you have drawn the inner shape of the wing, draw a long thin rectangle using the Rectangle tool, then go to Edit>Transform Path>Rotate. Rotate your shape to about -6.5°. 02 Duplicate shapes Use the Path Selection tool to select it and then, while holding Alt, click and drag to duplicate your shape. Repeat this a few times to create a stripe effect. 03 Add shapes Select your rectangles and cut them out of their shape layer. Then go to the wing shape, click to select it, and paste the rectangles into its shape layer. 04 Subtract shapes With the rectangles still selected, click the ‘Subtract from shape area’ icon from the top of the Path Selection tool Options bar to cut…

Essentials Works with Elements CS CC What you’ll learn How to use masks, blend modes and adjustment layers Time taken 5 hours Expert Rodrigo Marinelli “I always like to mix different kinds of styles, like surrealism with realism. This gives me the possibility to create something absolutely new and is a great exercise because it makes me find new ways to make the image more interesting. “I’m an art director and have 11 years of experience working in advertising agencies. I learned and am still learning to use Photoshop through following tutorials.” With Photoshop it is possible to explore many art styles. In this case, let’s explore the surreal style with realism. This is a fascinating world because it’s possible to make amazing scenes and learn new ways to develop…

Essentials Works with Elements CS CC What you’ll learn How to use Outer Glow, masks and blend modes for a fun text effect Time taken 1 hour Expert Andre Villanueva “I love adding glow effects to my compositions. Layer styles, blend modes and the trusty ol’ Brush tool are my favourite ways to apply them. They can add such a magical element to an image, and create fun text effects. “I discovered Photoshop when studying web design. I’m now art director for a tech company, soothing my inner instructor by sharing techniques with readers.” Lighting effects are great. Whether it’s introducing subtle light to a scene or adding intense atmospheric illumination, lighting is usually a welcome (and oftentimes necessary) part of the composition equation. Here you’ll have a little fun…

01 Set up guide text When drawing text, it can be hard to work without guides; any pre-installed font will work. Rasterize this layer once the text is laid out. 02 Transform the text Go to Edit>Transform>Distort to position your text into a perspective you like by dragging the square marks. Rasterizing the layer makes it possible to Distort the text. 03 Draw over the guide Now that the guide is set up, turn down the Opacity of that layer. Create a new layer over it and begin drawing your custom text with the Brush (B) tool. 04 Remove/move layers After completing the custom font, you need to delete or move any guides you have made. This is so they don’t get in the way of the final few steps…

PHOTO FILTER Apply the Photo Filter adjustment layer and change its blending mode to create more consistent and harmonious colours. CUSTOM BRUSHES Create custom brushes and adjust the Brush Settings to quickly add special effects to your compositions. PRESET MANAGER To save the new brushes, go to Edit>Preset Manager. Hold Shift and select the brushes, then click Save Set. BRUSH PRESETS PICKER Open the Brush Preset Picker and scroll down to find the new custom brush you’ve created. ADJUSTMENT LAYERS Apply the adjustment layers to change the appearance of your image without permanently affecting its original pixels. TOOL OPTIONS In the Tool Options you’ll find the options to adjust or personalise the settings for each tool. ADJUSTMENT LAYER MASKS Use the adjustment masks to hide or show the effect in…

GET IN TOUCH Send us your images now for the chance to appear in future galleries Create your own gallery online PhotoshopCreative.co.uk Upload your images to Facebook Search PhotoshopCreative Tweet us your creative artwork @PshopCreative Alternatively, you can email: pcr@imagine-publishing.co.uk Jonathan Maurin photoshopcreative.co.uk/ user/Aeon-Lux Image of the issue With this piece I was trying to create the origin of a fantasy universe. This was created mainly with brushes, and control of colour was important in creating a cohesive scene. Alina Sliwinska photoshopcreative.co.uk/ user/lady%20amarillis A photo of the sky, which I took on a return home from a long trip, formed the basis of this picture. The rest of the photos were blended to match the lighting and colour of the setting sun. I made only minor adjustments after that. Bruno…

Feet under the desk 09:00 The first thing I do when I arrive at work is check my emails, specifically I check to see if there are any emails from Flávio regarding a job, maybe something I need to do before he arrives. Brainstorm and briefing 10:00 We always have a meeting when a new job comes along. We decide which techniques we are going to use, because Leonardo can solve many things in photography, but if that’s not possible, we need to figure out what our resources for that image are going to be. Getting stuck in 11:00 Some projects are only possible if we have previous images in the image bank. Sometimes that’s due to time; other times it’s due to budget. My job is to find these…

When Photoshop users think of the Pen tool, they think of precision. Whether you’re cutting out a subject from a picture, or creating an ornate illustration, the Pen offers something for everyone. It’s one of the most accurate tools in Photoshop, and it’s versatile too. However, the Pen tool takes practice to master. It’s capable of producing both straight and curved lines, and getting the balance between the two takes time. Holding Shift can create lines at perfectly straight angles, and it’s worth using the grid (Cmd/Ctrl+’) to help map out your work. This ability to create all kinds of shapes makes the Pen a great tool for illustrations. It enables you to stroke your brushes along paths you create, or fill with colour, and it’s no wonder that digital…

On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with What you’ll learn Techniques for mixing different photos to create a vibrant portrait Time taken 3 hours Expert Rodrigo Marinelli “When I began creating images for my portfolio, this was one of the first art styles I tried. It helped me develop my own style because I could experiment with many tools to create the scene, and came to understand blend modes. “I’m an art director and have 11 years of experience in advertising agencies. I learned and am still learning to use Photoshop through following tutorials.” An important part of being a Photoshop artist is about creating your own style. There are many art styles to explore but with time and practice, you will learn to apply…

01 Add textures (step 12) Make a layer group with the bottle shape mask, add ‘glass_texture.jpg’, ‘glass_texture_01’ and ‘glass_texture_02. jpg’, use Hue/Saturation (0, -100, 0), use Levels to enhance the shadows, and change the blend mode to Screen. 02 Make a track shadow (step 20) Draw the shadow and paint it with #1e444d, change the blend mode to Soft Light, use the Warp tool to adjust the shape and add a Gaussian Blur of 26px. 03 Create a mountain (step 20) Add the 02 layer from ‘mountain. psd’ and place it as shown above. Use the Feather command at 3px and Color Balance set to -50, 0, 0. 04 Adjust the sky colour (step 25) To mix the sky colour with the trees, use a soft brush with the colour…

Essentials Works with Elements CS CC What you’ll learn Combine filters and use the new Select and Mask workspace in Photoshop Time taken 1 hour Expert Daniel Sinoca “Working with filters is such fun. You can create amazing effects by combining and applying them to compositions. All you need is a great image and the filters will create beautiful effects. “I started to get involved in the digital world more than 10 years ago and have been working as a freelance artist ever since, creating all kinds of multimedia projects and tutorial guides.” You don’t need a lot of images to create a beautiful composition; sometimes all you need is a good start photo and the powerful tools and filters in Photoshop. In this tutorial you’ll create a fantastic colourful…

VIGNETTE FOR FOCUS “I added a vignette with Curves, which forced the focus on the centre of the composition.” CUTTING THE MODEL OUT “I cut out the model and placed on the new background. I used the Brush tool in Quick Mask mode to do that.” NO 1 SUBTLE DOUBLE-EXPOSURE EFFECTS Double exposure can be very effective, especially when used subtly, as on the model’s neckline in this image. Digital artist Kevin Roodhorst (www.kevinroodhorst.com) blended a lot of different techniques to create this striking photo composition. As well as the aforementioned double-exposure effect (see the steps), he used a combination of adjustment layers to blend everything together, including Color Balance, Selective Color and Curves for overall grading and toning. NO 2 BUILD ATMOSPHERIC LIGHTING Composite photographer and creative retoucher Clinton…

Essentials Time taken 22 hours Expert Vivek Arvind Mandrekar “In this tutorial, you will learn techniques for painting a hyper-realistic portrait. I recommend using a graphics tablet, experimenting with Photoshop’s brushes, and even creating your own. It’s up to you how strictly you follow the steps – it’s important to learn the basics and experiment. “I am a Mumbai-based, self-taught artist and senior art director for Movie Posters and have been creating digital paintings for the past five years. In my youth, drawing was the only thing I was good at. I was introduced to traditional and digital art in the 1990s, and then Photoshop in 2001. It has been an incredible voyage.” For more of Vivek’s art, visit https://www.behance.net/vivekmandrekar. Hyper-realistic paintings are not interpretations of photographs, nor are they…

IS THERE A QUICK WAY TO CREATE A MOSAIC? The Filter Gallery is great for creating all kinds of different effects in your photos, from turning them into sketched pictures to converting them into low-poly masterpieces. As well as converting your pictures into digital art though, the Filter Gallery offers textures to overlay onto your images. The Mosaic filter is a particularly popular option for converting your image into separate squares to give the illusion that you’ve printed it across tiles. Before you add the tile texture to your image, go to Filter>Pixelate>Mosaic. This will turn your picture into slightly bigger pixelated squares, so now when you go to Filter>Filter Gallery>Mosaic, the image will look more realistically spread across these tiles. Remember to keep the sizes of each fairly similar…

“Iwould tell Photoshop beginners to never give up on dreams: just keep working,” says Jack Usephot. In a few short years, Jack has gone from having an interest in design to being featured on the splash screen for Photoshop CC 2015.5. But how did he turn his dreams into the reality of 230,000 people viewing his work on Behance? We caught up with Jack to find out his design secrets. How did you get into digital art? I came from a poor family so I’ve always had to work hard to achieve things. I have always loved technology, but I didn’t have the money to study for a degree, so I had to learn how to create by myself. Three years after teaching myself, I started working as a graphic…

“Like most kids, I had a very vivid imagination and I loved to draw anything that popped up in my head,” says Anton Forsberg. This is a passion that’s carried on into adult life for Anton, whose fantastic photomanipulations have a playful feel. We caught up with Anton to ask him for some of his tips and techniques. Can you tell us a bit about how your creative process starts? When I start a new project I usually already have a pretty worked-out sketch in my head of what I want to accomplish. It could either come from an idea that has been developed over time, or it could come from an idea I got two minutes ago browsing through stock photos. What do you think makes a good Photoshop…

We challenged you with these In Issue 143, we challenged you to get creative with these four images. You were allowed to use any or all of the pictures, and whatever other resources you chose. Here’s what you created. Challenge entries The best entries and overall challenge winner 1 Daryl Frakes Sunflower A simple but powerful idea came to mind when I saw these images. With a few filters and some masking, the powder image was incorporated into the subject’s eye, with the sunflower laid out behind. 2 Alexandre Perez Garden of Sunflowers I worked on the lighting and the model’s skin in this picture. The sunflowers are used in the field behind the model, the deckchairs are placed in the field and the powder texture is used on the…

1. Look at things differently “Few people use the Rotate View option, but it really is an excellent tool to select and illustrate with, so give it a try. The keyboard shortcut for this tool is R, and you can hit Escape to return your image canvas to normal.” Flávio Albino 2. Organisation is everything “Always make sure the layout is in a layer in your document and, even more importantly, always name your layers to make sure your document is as organised as it can be. That saves a lot of working time. You can even colour-code your layers for more organisation.” Flávio Albino 3. Transform Again “Most people only have a small pool of keyboard shortcuts so firmly in their head that they can use them regularly, but…

Essentials Works with What you’ll learn How to use the Pen tool, and combine and subtract from shape areas Time taken 1hour Expert Moe Hezwani “I really enjoy experimenting in Photoshop; I can easily spend an entire day finding new ways to bring my hand-drawn sketches to life. People are often intimidated by the Pen tool, but playing with it helps to familiarise yourself with how it works, which makes it less daunting. “I’m a professional graphic designer/illustrator, and Photoshop is my go-to platform for my designs.” You’re probably aware by now that the Pen tool can be used to create more than just paths for selections; you can also use it to make vector shapes. A vector is made up of mathematical points, connecting to each other by either…

Essentials Time taken 5 hours Expert Joshua Kelly “I love . using the Brush tool .com to create my illustrations; I feel like it gives more freedom and character to my artwork. I like the rough, hand-drawn effects that it provides. The Lasso tool makes the filling in process a lot quicker and can give a vector look! “I am a freelance illustrator and have been using Photoshop since the day I started drawing professionally. I have been creating alternative movie posters in Photoshop for the past three years for films such as Lost River, Suicide Squad and American Psycho. I am still learning new techniques every day to constantly progress and improve my style of work.” To view more of Joshua’s poster art visit www.behance.com/jmonsterart. We’re going to start…

Faded blur If the ground is visible in the image that you’re trying to blur the background of, your depth of field may look unrealistic, as you’ll be blurring the ground in the foreground with that in the background. To rectify this, duplicate the background before you blur, hit Mask and then add a black to white gradient. Dark background The Average blur is different to other blur tools as it fills in the space with an average shade of colour, determined by all the colours in that space. Again, duplicate your background layer, go to Filter>Blur>Average and set to Multiply to darken the background with a colour that suits the scene. Radial Blur The Radial Blur is perfect for speeding effects, and just in the same way as with…