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Photoshop Techniques


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Here's a picture my daughter did of her and her husband to use on the guestbook at the wedding.

faces-cj.jpg

I am not sure how she did it, but I'm going to ask her! She used to teach Photoshop classes. :RedGuy:

I remember she said she had to "clean it up some"

A little busy today making web updates (and have been neglecting my own site!)

but I want to play with the photocopy sliders! Have to wait til later.

Edited by cha cha trusty
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ansa, I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe it's the path I take.

I get to my photocopy by going into filters.

filters > sketch > photocopy

...but even at the lowest settings this is what I get...

th_DCATfeetcoloringpage.jpg

ah, cha cha...that is some fine work by your daughter. I'll be interested to see how she got there.

Edited by laughn
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ansa, I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe it's the path I take.

I get to my photocopy by going into filters.

filters > sketch > photocopy

...but even at the lowest settings this is what I get...

th_DCATfeetcoloringpage.jpg

ah, cha cha...that is some fine work by your daughter. I'll be interested to see how she got there.

hee this is really a curiosity for me...I should get a copy of that picture and try it on my PS...I guess it does not matter since there is the blur method...just curious if its the photo or I have other settings that are creating the difference...its a puzzlement.

do you have a link to the original picture?

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YAY I figured it out!!!

you have to make black your foreground color and white your background color...

I got this

post-2-1190573690_thumb.jpg

with sliders at 2 and 15 with black as foreground and white as background

and this

post-2-1190573833_thumb.jpg

the other way around...

actually this way I didnt have to desaturate...and if you want the lines to be a different color just make that the foreground...that was why I was having to desaturate...I used to get red lines thats because that was my foreground color...

cool I learned something new today.

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I Just made this from an old Glamour Shot, using ansa's photocopy method:

chachaphotocopy.jpg

Thanks ansa!!!

I set the sliders at 3 and 19. Then I took the paint brush and painted white on a bunch of the dark smudges all around the face and neck.

Maybe that's how my daughter did it!

:clap:

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cha cha and ansa, I found the filters area of my photo editing program, I've never worked with it at all, it really is fun to see all of the different effects you can get. I haven't been able to get the shape thing to work for me yet. Maybe I'll take a look at the "tour" and see if I can figure it out. Thanks for starting this thread, I'm having fun with it, but I really should be working on rating my songs. I'll keep checking in.

Hey, a Clay Coloring Book would be fun. In my program it looks like it is the photocopy filter that gives that effect.

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cha cha and ansa, I found the filters area of my photo editing program, I've never worked with it at all, it really is fun to see all of the different effects you can get. I haven't been able to get the shape thing to work for me yet. Maybe I'll take a look at the "tour" and see if I can figure it out. Thanks for starting this thread, I'm having fun with it, but I really should be working on rating my songs. I'll keep checking in.

Hey, a Clay Coloring Book would be fun. In my program it looks like it is the photocopy filter that gives that effect.

I'm a little shaky on the shape tool too. Maybe we can figure it out together!

Yes - a Clay Coloring Book would be FUN!! Let's make one! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

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Yeah actually a certain admin was thinking it might be a fun fundraiser for the FCA BAF chapter...hey ldyJ

You rang?

Yeah, I saw these the other day and thought "selling a Clay coloring book could be cool..." We'd have to get permission from the photographers, and then permission from the BAF to use Clay's image. I also have no idea how much it would cost to have the images photocopied and bound (I was thinking spiral binding) at Kinkos.

Should I take this discussion to the BAF thread?

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I've been thinking about another tutorial.... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Something that builds on what you've learned so far.

Here is a simple technique for a neat wallpaper.

Example #1

profile-sm.jpg

Example #2

leaning2-sm.jpg

Overview:

Select a photo and size.

Use gradient tool to fill in the background.

Use lasso tool to crop your image.

------------------------------------------------------------

To start:

  • Open a new file and choose the size. 1024x768 for reg monitors and 1440x900 for wide screen.

Choose a photo to use in the wallpaper.

Select the gradient tool by clicking and holding down the left mouse button on the paint bucket tool and selecting gradient tool.

Go to the top tool bar and click the down arrow to see the color selections on the gradient tool.

Select colors that compliment your selected photo.

Draw a diagonal line on the background holding the left mouse button down.

Release the button and Voila! There is your gradient background. You can do this as many times as you want. Create more layers for each color or undo until you get what you like. Crisscross, experiment with colors.

Locate the opacity property at the top of the layers properties box. Make sure the gradient layer is selected.

Click on the arrow and slide the slider to the desired opacity.

Click on the lasso tool and set the feather property to 10 or 15.

Draw around your image, copy and paste onto your background and move to desired location.

This is almost like what you did before except you made a different background.

Example #2 has 3 layers. The gradient layer is on top on the image, and a duplicate layer is on top of that with the opacity reduced to 36%.

  • To duplicate the layer, right-click on the image layer (which will be on the bottom - i.e. background layer)

Create a new layer and use the gradient tool on that layer.

Click on the duplicate layer in the layers properties box and drag above the gradient layer.

Reduce opacity as desired.

Now the gradient layer is between the two image layers.

Click on lasso again and drag around the image in the same place on the duplicate layer.

Go to Select menu and select Inverse. Hit the delete key.

Locate the opacity property at the top of the layers properties box. Make sure the duplicate layer is selected.

Click on the arrow and slide the slider to the desired opacity. (I used 36%)

Now the background is still gradient and part of the colors show thru the image.

Questions?? I probably left out something since I did this in kind of a hurry!! Back later to see your comments! :lilredani:

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http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/mer...tled-11copy.jpg

It is not that easy lassooing around the edges.

If you have one layer under the other one and want to switch how do you do that?

Good job merriieeee!!! :clap:

it's very easy to rearrange your layers......

all you do is click on the one you wnat to move in the layers properties box, and drag it to where you want it to go.

Remember you can turn your layers on and off (on: you can see it, off: you can't) by clicking the eye next to the layer in the layers properties box.

One small point on your newest creation tho. Which is very pretty btw!

when your image comes really close to the edge of the photo the hard edge tends to show, because the feathering overlaps the edge.

When that happens, you can correct it several ways:

  • Make your feather number smaller

Make the image area closer in from the edge

or

Move the hard edge to the edge of the collage.

Keep up the good work!!

Let's see... what can we learn next?? :lilredani:

Edited by cha cha trusty
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I want to try and play with making a banner. What size does it have to be?

well - the one on this page is 780x260 pixels. But different boards have different sizes.

The way to get the size ofa photo on the web is to right-click and choose properties.

A dialog box pops up and gives you the size along with a few other details.

To make a banner like the one above, just use the stuff we've been talking about in the latest lessons!

Can't wait to see what you come up with! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Edited by cha cha trusty
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At this moment CV has a banner up that has pictures framed in gold. The text appears in gold also. My question is how to get that metallic look to your color...?

Yup this is one of my frustrations ...making realistic metalic effect. I think there are add onsthatyou can add to PS to make this easier. I also think that itmay be easier with PSP.

Awww I love that. There is a category in the gallery for FCA banners...why don't you make your own album in that category and upload this banner.

I think I will suggest that for anybody that wants to submit banners. I will make an album for past banners but I can start to choose new banners from those submitted by members in their albums.

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At this moment CV has a banner up that has pictures framed in gold. The text appears in gold also. My question is how to get that metallic look to your color...?

laughn - I have been trying to find a way to answer that question. I found a rather complicated tutorial on the web, and I followed it to make this:

GOLD1.jpg

Then I tried a technique that I thought up, and wondered if it would work!!

I came up with this:

gold2.jpg

So here's how I did it:

  • Open a new file - this one (I made it smaller to post) is 750x254 - same size as CV banner.

Select two contrasting colors in the color selector by clicking on each square and picking a color from the pallet.

Click on the paint bucket and fill the background with the darker color. (Use double-ended arrow next to color squares to toggle the colors)

Go to the Filter menu and click Render>clouds. Adjust the colors or render>clouds again for different effect.

Click the text tool, pick your font and size and type the text.

Go to gradient tool (hold mouse button down on paint bucket tool and select gradient)

Click on the arrow in the top tool bar to display the color selections for the gradient tool.

See the arrow in the upper right corner of the color selection window? Click that and choose metals near the bottom.

A window asks if you want to append or replace - pick append.

Now choose the yellow one that looks sort of like gold.

Click on the text layer in the layers pallet.

Hit ctrl and = * at the same time and holding it down click the text layer. This will select the text.

Now create a new layer above teh text layer and use the gradient tool on the new layer, you should see the text change to a gradient yellow.

Click deselect in the Select menu to deselect the text.

Add blending options (right-click the layer in layers pallet) Drop Shadow and Bevel and Emboss.

*(they actually say + but there is no shift involved)

To frame the image use the following steps:

  • Click on the marquis tool and select the gradient layer.

Select an area on the image that is close to all edges, and go to Select>inverse.

With the inverse selected, select the background layer and hit Delete.

With inverse still selected, use the gradient tool on the gradient layer again to color the edge.

**Remember to save your work as a psd file - File>Save As - and also as a jpg or gif - File>Save for Web.**

NOTE - in the CV banner there is a frame around the three images of Clay. I believe this is another gradient layer made by using marquis tool to select a rectangle and then filling it with the gradient, and then placing the images on top of that gradient rectangle. There are probably other ways to acheive that effect also!

I hope you can follow this!! If you have any questions - please post them!

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Thanks cha cha and ansa too...I'm going to give it a try this weekend when my workload is lighter....I have a feeling there probably is an add on that would make this easier, especially for my older version PS, but cha cha's looks pretty good.

I love a challenge. :imgtongue:

laughn - I just looked at the tutorial (the one I linked) again, and it looks like it'll work with PS 5 and higher.

What version do you have?

I'm glad you're having fun! I am learning more things too!!!

But merrieee and alicia are the only ones giving me results feedback!

Thank you merrieee and alicia!!!

How's everyone else doing??? (who all is here reading? lurkers please check in!!)

[PLEASE] SHOW ME THE WORK!! :lilredani:

Edited by cha cha trusty
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laughn - I just looked at the tutorial (the one I linked) again, and it looks like it'll work with PS 5 and higher.

What version do you have?

cha cha, I have 6...so this should work...I just have to read it a few hundred times to fully understand the steps. LOL

I hope to give it a try and post some results...

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I heard back from my daughter about the coloring book method.

This one is easier yet!!

This is the new Wal-Mart screenshot that we got last week.

wal2stampfilter.jpg

How she did it:

  • Set color selector with black as the foreground and white as the background.

Open photo.

Go to Filter>Sketch>Stamp.

Set the sliders according to the effect you like. (here they are set to 1 & 2)

SAVE AS - rename and save.

Now that was easy wasn't it???? :F_05BL17blowkiss:

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OK so not only am I hooked on Clay Aiken I am becoming hooked on Photoshop.

Thanks so much for the help you all have given. I at least feel now I know some basics. Making banners doesn't appear to be too difficult. I have to start to experiment more with textures etc. I have resized things, layered stuff, changed fonts etc and as they say in England I am quite chuffed with myself! (pleased)

You realize this means I now will be d/l a whole lot more pics. Before I was thinking I just liked the pic now I will be thinking Hmm that would crop well*g*

One question...How do you upload a pic so it shows on the page as opposed to a link?

Well two questions....Are any of the books any good...like Photoshop for Dummies etc?

OK one final one....would you look in the gallery and give me some constructive comments?

Thanks

ETA: Thanks for the comments ansa. I would like to do the blending but cannot figure out how!

Edited by merrieeee
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