PS - MAGAZINE - Advanced-Photoshop - 107 2013

WORK WITH
20
TYPE SECRETS
Great examples of commercial text effects
being used in the industry today
The magazine for Adobe
Photoshop
professionals
107
DISPLACEMENT
MIXED MEDIA
EXPERT
BLENDING
Combine traditional methods alongside the
Brush tool to build a vibrant portrait
Use layer masks, path selections, gradients & colour adjustments to build this unique image
CREATE
THIS
IMAGE
ISSN 1748-7277
9 7 7 1 7 4 8 7 2 7 0 0 9
0 7 >
ISSUE 107 5.99
PAINT A LANDSCAPE
Create stunning scenery using
custom brushes and lighting effects
DIGITAL PAINTING PHOTOMANIPULATION
UNDERWATER EFFECTS
Composite multiple assets into a scene
using layer masks and photo filters
PHOTO EDITING
PROFESSIONAL
RETOUCHING
Improve your photos using Curves and the
Selective Color tool in CS6
TYPE DESIGN
CINEMA 4D & PHOTOSHOP
Incorporate a 3D text render into CS6
to produce a striking poster
Tutorial files available at:
blog.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/tutorial-files
ISSUE 107
NOSPINE.indd 1 04/03/2013 10:06
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WELCOME
ISSUE 107
Welcome to the latest
issue of Advanced
Photoshop. We value
regular feedback, so
recently asked what you
would like to see more of
in the magazine, via our
social media sites.
IN THIS ISSUE:
GRAPHICS
DIGITAL PAINTING
PHOTOMANIPULATION
PHOTO EDITING
ANNALISA SAYWELL
Deputy Editor
You answered in your droves and here it is an
issue thats dedicated to our reader demands.
Typography and type effects are very important
subjects that are often overlooked in design
magazines in favour of better or more impactive
artwork, but this month we have given it centre stage.
Our 20 type secrets feature delves into the world of
commercial type effects in the industry today. If that
wasnt enough, we also show you how to take a 3D
text render from CINEMA 4D into Photoshop.
One of your other requests was to see more
photomanipulation. From our feature on product
retouching, to our underwater effects and
displacement tutorials, weve got it covered.
I couldnt end without mentioning what we have on
our amazing disc this month. Our Advanced Creative
Collection is bigger than ever, with 95 premium
images, 25 textures, ten Photoshop brushes and
much much more!
FIND US ONLINE:
@advancedpshop /AdvancedPhotoshop
.co.uk
003
ISSUE 107 CONTENTS
PHOTO EDITING:
EXPERT RETOUCHING
40
Learn creative and technical tips for
enhancing an automotive commercial image
COVER ARTIST
Our very own Reviews
Editor is exceptionally
skilled at Photoshop, so
was the perfect choice to
take on this mammoth
challenge based on
Alberto Sevesos CS6 work
ADAM SMITH
www.advanced
photoshop.co.uk
68
GRAPHICS:
BLENDING
MIXED MEDIA
Use brushes, drawn elements and other tools to
build an inspired editorial illustration
TYPOGRAPHY
003-005_AVP_107.indd 3 01/03/2013 14:58
EYE ON DESIGN
Whats hot, whos in and the
latest art & design happenings
PRO PANEL:
Our contributors share Photoshop secrets 06
PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW:
Cinematic illustration with Neal Hanson 08
14
PROJECT FOCUS:
Creating a Gothic poster
16
STUDIO INTERVIEW:
Hugo & Marie
CONTENTS
ISSUE 107
16
STUDIO INTERVIEW
92
CREATE SMOKE EFFECTS
004
CONTENTS ISSUE 107
34
PROFESSIONAL RETOUCHING
64
003-005_AVP_107.indd 4 01/03/2013 14:58
TECHNIQUES
Professional artists reveal their high-end skills in our easy-to-
follow workshops
Professional retouching 34
FEATURE
REVIEWS
We put the latest creative kit,
books and apps to the test
80
FEATURE:
SpectraView Reference 271 monitor
84
REVIEWS:
Filterstorm 4, Creative Photography ideas
using Adobe Photoshop
Free with issue 107 of
Advanced Photoshop
SPECIAL CREATIVE COLLECTION
PLUS:
Tutorial project files
Exclusive wallpapers for mobile and desktop
Fonts worth $30
Featuring 95 premium stock images, 25
textures, 20 Photoshop brushes and a plug-in
EXCLUSIVE CREATIVE
VIDEO TUTORIALS
Master retouching techniques and learn
how to composite multiple elements to
create a vibrant mixed-media image
96
ON YOUR DISC
Pillars of life 52
HOW I MADE
Work with displacement 46
WORKSHOP
Imaginarium 60
HOW I MADE
20 type secrets 24
FEATURE
Expert automotive retouching 40
WORKSHOP
Underwater effects 54
WORKSHOP
SEE PAGE 22 FOR THE LATEST OFFER
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
64 CINEMA 4D & Photoshop
WORKSHOP
Fantasy lighting effects 88
READER INTERVIEW
74 Paint a landscape
WORKSHOP
68 Blending mixed media
WORKSHOP
CREATE SMOKE EFFECTS
ISSUE 107 CONTENTS
74
PAINT A LANDSCAPE
Create smoke effects 92
RESOURCE PROJECT
54
WATER EFFECTS
52
PILLARS OF LIFE
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006
EYE ON DESIGN PRO PANEL
PRO PANEL
OUR CONTRIBUTORS SHARE SOME OF THEIR ESSENTIAL
TECHNIQUES AND ADVISE US HOW TO IMPROVE OUR IMAGES
EYE ON DESIGN
THEO AARTSMA
http://cargocollective.com/theoaartsma
If youre serious about your Photoshop work you should really consider
buying a Wacom tablet. This opens up a whole range of new possibilities
to experiment with. This artwork shows how the tablet was used to brush
over what would have otherwise ended as an ordinary composite. The mixed-media style
wouldnt have been possible without a drawing tablet.
Find Theos How I Made image on page 52
Drawing tablets provide you with realistic application when using Photoshop brushes
JAMES KNOWLES
www.grungetv.deviantart.com
Apart from using various colour and Levels
adjustments to increase texture detail in Photoshop,
you can also apply the Dodge tool. The original
texture in this 3D render was quite flat, so I adjusted the Midtones and
Highlights sliders in my applied Levels layer. I also added a textured
Dodge brush with Control set to Pen Pressure in my Shape Dynamics
brush settings. This created rich and vibrant textures.
James CINEMA 4D and Photoshop tutorial is on page 64
Here you can see a clear difference between the original and edited textures
SCOTT DUKES
www.dukesphotography.com
When stripping in a cloudy sky on top of a clear blue
sky, always use a Soft Light or Overlay
blending mode. This enables the tonality of the real
sky to bleed through from below, giving a more realistic blend of both. It
also helps to bring through tough-to-mask objects on the horizon, such
as trees, bushes and other shrubbery.
Scotts Expert Automotive Retouching tutorial is on page 40
In this image you can make a clear comparison of how successful effects can be when used
with blending modes
006-007_AVP_107.indd 6 01/03/2013 14:14
JIM LIND
www.jimlind.com
I find Curves to be one of the most powerful options in Photoshop. Most of my colour-
correcting work is fine-tuned using each channel in the dialog box. However, one of the
quickest hacks for this tool is creating an empty Curves adjustment layer, applying presets
and improving this by changing the blending mode of that layer. The modes that I find most useful are Overlay,
Multiply, Screen and Soft Light.
Find Jims tips for creating smoke textures in our Resource Feature starting on page 92
ARTEM KOLOMEICHUK
http://positivepictures.net
Any final image must always
include authentic lighting and other
effects to create better realism. This
image is a good example. None of the elements was
shot in 3D or in-motion, so I applied Motion Blur and
Radial Blur filters to the trees, road, sheep and the
automobile. Once the effects were combined, there
was a better interaction between all the objects that
created the realism needed.
Our Pro Retouching feature begins on page 34
RAPHAL VICENZI
www.mydeadpony.com
To create this personal illustration
called Megaton, I drew the face
directly in Photoshop. I composed
my image by using various elements, including
hand-made textures, then applied different blending
modes to these such as Linear Burn and Multiply.
Parts of these textures were removed with layer
masks until the result looked painterly.
Find Raphals tutorial on page 68
Rich cyans have been applied to this
image through the use of Curves
Dont be afraid to experiment with the strength of effects to create
different looks
Realistically overlap and integrate mixed-media effects with
blending modes
007
APPS REVIEWS
Imagine Publishing Ltd
2013
ISSN 1748-7277
Magazine team
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The magazine for Adobe
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professionals
I composed my image by
using various elements,
including hand-made textures,
then applied different blending
modes to these
RAPHAEL VICENZI / WWW.MYDEADPONY.COM
006-007_AVP_107.indd 7 01/03/2013 14:14
A
concept artist at Sucker Punch Productions
can receive requests for just about anything
a 3D artist or animator needs visualising.
Neal Hanson, previously a cinematic
illustrator at ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2, steps up to
this awesome challenge by forging paint-overs of
screenshots, mood pieces and prop designs. These
are essential references for the 3D crew to take and
re-create for future videogames.
Landing a role at Sucker Punch didnt just fall
from the sky, though. Hanson grew up in an artistic
family including a grandmother that has been
playing videogames for as long as he can remember.
With art and storytelling running through his blood,
when it came to choosing an education it was
DigiPen that stood out as the place to go. My
education at DigiPen turned getting a job in the
videogames industry something that I knew as
little about as joining the circus into a reality,
NEAL HANSON GIVES INSIGHT INTO A CAREER ALREADY
SPANNING ARENANET AND SUCKER PUNCH PRODUCTIONS
PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW
CINEMATIC
ILLUSTRATION
http://nealhanson.blogspot.com
Hanson reveals. After a year of community college I
enrolled in [DigiPens] Production Animation
program and studied everything from storytelling,
animation, traditional and digital art, to 3D packages.
While his time at DigiPen certainly laid the
groundwork for Hansons career in videogames, his
real education began after attending a Massive Black
workshop in Seattle. The talent outside the
classroom was shocking and I realised that I needed
to devote myself to my work if I wanted to survive as
an artist, he adds.
Dedicated to the cause, Hanson found himself
taken on board the ArenaNet team, joining as a
motion graphics artist before being promoted to
cinematic illustrator. His experience in motion
graphics taking illustrations painted by the
cinematic artists and adding particle effects, camera
moves and transitions helped him to design and
illustrate compelling shots.
Here Hanson reveals his creative secrets, explains
how he has manoeuvred through the videogames
industry and offers advice for those wishing to follow
in his footsteps.
DOES BEING BASED IN SEATTLE INFLUENCE
YOUR WORK AT ALL?
My position at Sucker Punch has been my first
working experience in a major metropolitan area. Its
great being able to walk to just about anywhere from
work. However, I currently live outside of the city, way
out in the woods. Its a nice change relative to the city.
When I can, I go out with my laptop and [paint] the
rivers and forests around my house.
HOW DOES THE PACE AT ARENANET
COMPARE TO THAT AT SUCKER PUNCH?
The main difference between Sucker Punch and
ArenaNet is the amount of time needed to complete
Guardians: This personal piece was
created in a fantasy setting. Hanson
wonders whether this could be an
entrance to some abandoned
mountainside fortress? Neal Hanson
008
EYE ON DESIGN PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW
008-012_AVP_107.indd 8 28/02/2013 16:54
009
PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN
Divinity Reach Celebration: A vibrant
celebration piece made for the end of Guild
Wars 2. Hanson suggests that this was inspired
by Disneys Magic Kingdom theme park All
Guild Wars materials are property of ArenaNet/
NCSOFT and are used with permission
008-012_AVP_107.indd 9 28/02/2013 16:54
040 010
003
Sylvari Grove: This concept features
another market-like scene for a load screen
in Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet/NCSOFT
001
Sleeping Tree: This concept piece was
painted for the end of the Guild Wars 2
Sylvari intro cinematic ArenaNet/NCSOFT
002
Lions Arch Celebration: Another colourful
finale piece created for Guild Wars 2. This
particular one started out as a paint-over
ArenaNet/NCSOFT
003
001
002 003
008-012_AVP_107.indd 10 28/02/2013 16:54
011
USE REFERENCES
Jumping into a concept without research is a bad plan if you
intend to be innovative with it. Its also a lost opportunity to
discover new ideas. The internet is a great and accessible
place to explore and broaden your repertoire. Use it!

REFRESH YOUR PERSPECTIVE
It always surprises me how different my work looks when I
come back to it after walking away for a few minutes. Dont
leave it for too long, though, or youll never finish the piece. Its
easy to get lost in your work when youre investing hours at a
time, making it difficult to point out individual problems and
remove them.
SPEND ENERGY WISELY
You only have so much creative juice in you to spend every
day and you need it when creating original designs. I try to
recognise when I have run out and move to something that
doesnt require the same kind of thinking. Try looking at other
artists work for inspiration, reading, copying a movie still, or
even just gazing out the window!
TOP CONCEPT DESIGN TIPS
NEAL HANSON REVEALS HIS THREE BEST PIECES OF
ADVICE FOR THOSE LOOKING TO GET INTO CONCEPT
WORK FOR VIDEOGAMES
PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN
each piece. At Sucker Punch, the primary goal is to
simply get an idea across clearly, so I do more
drawings/paintings with little polish if any at all. At
ArenaNet the illustrations are essentially videogame
assets and naturally call for a higher level of finish.
WHO MOST INSPIRED YOU FROM THE
ARENANET CREW?
[The concept art teams] work served as the
foundation of ArenaNets high artistic standard,
which I look up to [even now]. My own proximity to
that energy positively affected my art and forced me
to hold my new work up to a much higher standard
than I did when I was going through school. I really
cant thank the guys in the cinematic room enough
for critiquing and painting over my work. I learned a
ton from the team and my mind was opened up to a
lot of new techniques.
Arctic
Underwater: Used
in one of Guild War
2s many limited
cinematics, this
impressive digital
painting was the
first full illustration
Hanson created in
his role at ArenaNet
ArenaNet/
NCSOFT
005
Sky Gunner: This
beautifully serene
personal piece was
primarily inspired
by Final Fantasys
World of Ivalice
Neal Hanson
004
HOW DID THE MOVE FROM ARENANET TO
SUCKER PUNCH COME ABOUT?
As a relative newcomer to the industry, I think its
good for me to explore and challenge myself as
often as I can. Once Guild Wars 2 shipped, I heard
about the position at Sucker Punch through some
connections. I saw it as a good opportunity in my
career to experience a new project The shift has
forced me out of my comfort zone and [made me]
tackle things Im not used to. Its important to resist
getting too comfortable with your work, or your
progression as an artist will falter.
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU NEED TO
PRODUCE WHATS EXPECTED (OR EVEN
UNEXPECTED) OF YOU?
Someone [gave me a piece of advice] that I really
agree with, so I will just repeat it here as best I can:
More than anything, your take or your unique vision
on any given subject is extremely important as an
artist. These days so many people can draw and
paint There are tons of free resources and tutorials
at your fingertips that can teach you just about
anything. Your imagination is really what sets you
apart and what you imagine is fuelled by your
experiences. If you live and experience an interesting
life, your art will reflect that.
WHAT ARE THE KEY SKILLS FOR DEPICTING
ADVENTURE IN STILL IMAGERY?
There is a lot to juggle when making an image feel
impactful, but the characteristic that generally makes
pieces feel adventurous is the sense of exploration,
which inherently involves some ambiguity or the
unknown. Things that make the viewer question the
story beyond the image and stimulate their
005
004
008-012_AVP_107.indd 11 28/02/2013 16:55
012
imagination are key to capturing that feeling. In a
way, it allows the viewer to do some of the painting
themselves and enriches their experience. In terms
of artistic elements, the composition of a piece is one
of the most important devices to consider. For me,
the images that feel adventurous and exciting feature
big open environments and the composition of the
piece can do a lot to make or break this effect.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR COMBATING
CREATIVE CHALLENGES? HOW DO YOU
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A PROJECT?
Usually when Im stumped on something its
because I dont know enough about the subject, so I
do research to better prepare myself. Another set of
eyes is always helpful [too]. I did get a piece of advice
that pertains specifically to design and I think its a
great way to combat design problems: You can apply
dissimilar subjects to one another, bringing new
ideas to mind that you otherwise would have never
found. Lets say youre trying to design an interesting
cottage. Using this method, you can apply the
alphabet (as an example) to your cottage, then try
making an A-shaped cottage, a B-shaped cottage
and so on. You could apply shapes of fruits, animals,
office furniture and so on. This is a super-helpful way
to come up with new design solutions when you find
yourself stuck or slipping into autopilot.
CREATING CONCEPTS FOR VIDEOGAMES IS A
MUCH-ENVIED JOB, WITH MANY TALENTED
ARTISTS COMPETING IN THE FIELD. WHATS
THE COMPETITION LIKE?
The demand for concept artists is less than for other
artistic jobs in the industry, so its naturally a
competitive field. That said, Ive never had any
experiences where Ive been competing neck-and-
neck with another artist for a job, so I guess I have
been pretty fortunate so far. Who knows whats to
come, though! Im always checking out the work of
other artists and trying to figure out what they are
doing that makes their art tick.
DO YOU FIND TIME TO BE CREATIVE IN YOUR
SPARE TIME?
I think its very important to explore personal pieces
outside of the job. I feel my best work is personal
or at least it comes when I have the opportunity to
just mess around. I find myself going back to mostly
fantastical art in my free time. Worlds from Studio
Ghibli films and the Final Fantasy games are
incredibly inspiring to me and are a large part of
what drove me towards this career in the first place,
so I tend to lean towards that genre. I dont really do
any finished work outside of digital painting but I do
like to draw with pen, pencils and ink brushes when I
can, if only because it just feels good. Because digital
is such a forgiving medium, I tend to take it for
granted and work too chaotically. The nature of
working with pen and paper forces me to think
before I put something down, which in return helps
me solve problems before I bring it to a digital stage.
CAN YOU REVEAL SOME CREATIVE SECRETS?
I dont have any major staples in my workflow but
there are some that are particularly helpful. [For
instance], I find myself using the Navigator all the
time. I make it really tiny and have it hovering right
above my working canvas. As they say, if it works
tiny it will work big, so this is a nice way to constantly
keep tabs on the overall effect. Color Balance and
Color Replacement are huge timesavers when
experimenting with your colours. The Surface Blur
filter is a great one when studying another image
and figuring out which elements are essential to the
piece without losing the edges.
HOW DOES IT FEEL SEEING THE RESULTS OF
YOUR HARD WORK IN THE END PRODUCT?
Guild Wars 2 was the first game I had the privilege to
work on. Its an encouraging indicator that Im
progressing and hopefully heading in the right
direction. To be honest, its hard not to cringe when I
see my work in a game I cant help but see lazy
mistakes and wonder what I was thinking!
Ratasum Market: This load screen for
Ratasum was particularly fun for Hanson as
he enjoys creating busy market scenes. Lots
of opportunities for little Easter eggs in this
one! ArenaNet/NCSOFT
008-012_AVP_107.indd 12 28/02/2013 16:55
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Full Page.indd 1 27/02/2013 15:54

014
EYE ON DESIGN BUILDING A GOTHIC POSTER
ILLUSTRATOR LUDOVIC CORDELIRES DISCUSSES MAKING A GRIM
GOTHIC IMAGE THATS NEVERTHELESS PLEASING TO THE EYE
PROJECT FOCUS
BUILDING A
GOTHIC POSTER
W
hen you hear the term Gothic, a
certain set of visual touchstones will
likely jump to mind: gargoyles
looming from cathedral buttresses;
skulking figures concealed in spectral forests and
Nosferatus ominous silhouette lurching up an eerie
staircase. This arguably isnt the most visually
spectacular aesthetic, to say the least. It shies away
from the bright colours of a lot of contemporary art,
more often dwelling in the shadows and the darker
end of the spectrum.
When tackling a poster for a South American
horror film festival, artist Ludovic Cordelires was
challenged with taking this grim, uninviting, rather
sombre mien and turning it into something entirely
more striking. The result is Temple Ov Depression, a
charcoal frieze featuring skulls, demons and a
menagerie of other horrifying creatures. With a
background in illustration and design within the
metal music genre, Cordelires was truly well placed
to take up this task.
The key to this image is its clever use of
composition, a careful managing of layers and a
subtle sense of restraint. We spoke to Cordelires to
learn exactly how he harnessed these techniques to
capture our morbid curiosity.
CAN YOU DISCUSS HOW YOU WENT ABOUT
CREATING THIS IMAGE?
I started with a photo of an Indian statue, then
modified its design to become an ancient god at the
centre of the canvas. I wanted to build something
majestic, both architectural and organic, hence the
name Temple Ov Depression. Once the main figure
was placed, I added two gate keepers to escort him. I
tried out a few different heads for the main character
(which was eventually built from vegetable stock
images) and then added an organic door to the
temple. I tweaked the image by playing with the head
of the main character, then worked on colours and
spotlights to enhance the two sentinels, the temple
god and eventually the festival logo.
WHICH PHOTOSHOP TOOLS WERE
PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR THE CREATION
OF THIS PROJECT?
I didnt use any special tools to build this image. Most
of time I use Photoshops core set, such as the Pen,
Lasso, Fusion Mask and Eraser, because they
enabled me to create a quick mock-up of what I had
in mind. They are very simple to use and enable
uncomplicated photomanipulation, for example with
the work done on the demons head.
ARE THERE ANY TOOLS THE SOFTWARE
DOESNT YET HAVE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO
SEE IMPLEMENTED?
For me, no, definitely not. Photoshop is an amazing
creative tool, which does the job its designed for
incredibly well. Everything is possible, its just a
matter of time, patience and learning. There are
some tools and plug-ins that are pretty cool but
theyre often too expensive. You can usually obtain
the same effect by making it by yourself but if
everything were easy, the work wouldnt be half as
rewarding as it is!
Ludovic Cordelires, aka
Rusalkadesign, is an illustrator and
art director with a background in
drawing. Hes currently employed
as a graphic designer and works in
the music industry. He creates
tutorials and freelances in his
spare time.
LUDOVIC CORDELIRES
ABOUT THE ARTIST
www.rusalkadesign.com
TEMPLE OV DEPRESSION
NAME OF PROJECT
@Rusalkadesign
Select a centrepiece Ludovic Cordelires Arrange the layout Ludovic Cordelires Add dark effects Ludovic Cordelires Inject colour Ludovic Cordelires
014-015_AVP_107.indd 14 28/02/2013 16:56
015
Liquify is one of the most powerful tools in Photoshop. I used it for
this demon to make it more skeletal and creepy but still dynamic.
You can use the tool to modify a characters appearance, but dont
overuse it or youll damage your photo.
Simple but truly essential, the Pen tool enables you to nicely isolate
a subject. Fusion Mask is another powerful tool as it enables you to
keep the layer youre working on intact. In this case, I hid some of
the demons head to put in a Spartan helmet.
Deformation filters such as Spherize are pretty cool to create a
planet or add volume to a flat texture. Here I used the tool to build a
demonic orb. I drew some organic shapes on the orb outline to
increase its volume.
Ludovic Cordelires
CAN YOU DISCUSS LAYOUT IN YOUR WORK?
HOW DO YOU AVOID OVERCROWDING IN AN
IMAGE SUCH AS THIS?
The most important thing for me is to tell a story,
whatever colour my design is. This is the main
foundation of my job: to illustrate. As such, I worked
hard on light and contrast and brought out aspects I
wanted to be noticed with various spotlights.
Forcing myself not to overload my picture was a
huge challenge, however. I made sure to choose the
right composition for the image by using the golden
ratio most of the time. I first put the important
elements in my working area, even if they werent
clean and finished, then I built the back and
foreground and added the details in last. In fact, for
this kind of piece, its very important to work on every
element at the same time in order to get a
well-balanced result. Once the main pieces were in
place, I worked on the aforementioned light and
contrasts to highlight them.
WHICH PHOTOSHOP TIPS AND TRICKS WOULD
YOU OFFER TO OTHERS LOOKING TO CREATE
GOTHIC ARTWORK?
Using a graphic tablet is essential to make clean and
precise designs. Also, try to always work with
high-definition elements (using your own stock or
buying some from image banks). Pay particular
attention to the composition and framing of your
creation to focus on lights and colours.
Try to manipulate elements as much as you can,
while avoiding typical figures such as nude girls with
crows, vampires, blood and overused colours. Most
of the time Gothic images look very similar to one
another, so one of the best tips I could give is to be
original, even if you include a vampire or a demon.
Tell a story in your design thats fresh and engages
attention. Theres so much inspiration in videogames,
books, music (metal music, for me) to stimulate the
mind. Concerning Photoshop, dont use free brushes
or other filters available on the internet. Try to make
things for yourself!
BUILDING A GOTHIC POSTER EYE ON DESIGN
014-015_AVP_107.indd 15 28/02/2013 16:56
016
EYE ON DESIGN STUDIO INTERVIEW
WE MEET THIS IMAGINATIVE AGENCY TO FIND OUT HOW THEYVE UTILISED THE
INTERNET TO GARNER SUCCESS THEIR OWN WAY
STUDIO INTERVIEW
HUGO
& MARIE
H
ugo & Marie is an agency that has been
working with a number of leading creative
talents, across all disciplines, for nearly
half a decade. This is due in no small part
to the reputation for quality and reliability that has be
nurtured by the agencys creative team.
Mario Hugo and Jennifer Gonzalez founded the
company together early on in 2008. Id been working
at a design agency called Syrup NYC, then as a
freelance illustrator, reveals Hugo. Jennifer was
working in fashion. We werent really interested in
operating under any one roof, so we formed the
agency out of a desire to collaborate with talented
friends and individuals.
Like many other agencies, Hugo & Marie began
working fairly exclusively in print and illustration and
many of its artists still do. Some of our internal
team has since evolved to working digitally, explains
Gonzalez. We still love print projects, they just have
to be right. Working digitally has offered our team
the opportunity to experiment and expand into new
territories. We feel strongly about a variety of work
weve done that is suited to the web.
However, when asked which visual qualities Hugo
& Marie is renowned for, the duo are stumped. We
definitely feel each of the artists we represent share
things in common, but weve never really put our
finger on what those qualities are, says Hugo.
Hugo & Marie is a full-service
creative agency that specialises in
artist management and interactive
services. Its team is dedicated to
direction, illustration and interactive
design, bringing all manner of
creative projects to life.
HUGO & MARIE
ABOUT THE STUDIO
http://hugoandmarie.com
@hugoandmarie
1. Sam Hodges 2. Mario Hugo 3. Fanny Nordmark
4. Masha Spaic 5. Ania Nowak 6. Jennifer Gonzalez
As founding members, both bring a recognisable
male and female influence to the agencys style.
Their work manages to successfully amalgamate a
variety of looks. We cant always speak for one
another, but I think that Hugo & Marie is made of
equal parts graphically both masculine
iconography and feminine nuance and gesture. We
like the language of fashion and music, but we really
pride ourselves on telling beautiful stories befitting
each of the agencies or brands we work with.
The agency has managed to gradually build a
strong network of commercial clients off the back of
a period of calculated inertia. The team of artists
worked for a length of time producing and publishing
1
2
3
4
5
6
016-021_AVP_107.indd 16 01/03/2013 10:08
017
HUGO
& MARIE
STUDIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN
016-021_AVP_107.indd 17 28/02/2013 17:04
040 018
work independently, before actively seeking wider
commercial success.
Gonzalez explains further: Our thought was pretty
simple that the internet is an invaluable tool, but
full of white noise. Hugo & Marie felt, and still does,
that curation is the currency of the internet.
Hugo & Marie aimed to curate a group of
designers that it believed in, showing the strengths of
the creatives operating at the agency and attracting
clients through these talents on show. Finding
commercial clients isnt always easy, but we do
believe the key to being discovered is to make things
you believe in, adds Hugo.
The agency persists in utilising the web to its full
potential as a means of actively seeking the publics
attention, making prospective and existing clients
fully aware of the agencys wonderful projects. We
keep our website active, promoting work and
creatives through the standard social platforms such
as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, Hugo
tells us. We send books, schedule meet-and-greets
when appropriate and we just ran our first print ad in
the beautiful Port Magazine late last year. However,
were mostly an online business.
Continuing these relationships is crucial to Hugo
& Maries long-term business plan and theyve built a
reputation for quality that returning clients have
come to expect. Being reliable in as fickle and
fast-paced a business as the creative industry is a
good way to ensure growth, Gonzalez explains.
Variety is the spice of life though. We enjoy working
with diverse new clients with different goals.
This philosophy certainly applies to the agencys
use of Photoshop. The software is applied in such a
manner that its once again hard for the team to relay
all the specifics. Im actually not too well versed in
names and shortcuts, admits Hugo. The projects
are pretty diverse, so its hard to say what, if anything,
is most commonly used. I also feel like anything I say
here may misrepresent the other artists on the Hugo
& Marie roster. What I can say is that I spend about
95 per cent of my creative time in Photoshop and the
other five per cent in Illustrator. I play with the Refine
Edge filter a lot. I also like being able to tweak some
of the subtler qualities of an image by gently
softening things.
One thing thats consistent is the agencys
technological preference. Were definitely in the
Apple camp iMacs, MacBook Pros, iPhones, iPads
and so on, explains Gonzalez. The in-house team
use Wacom Intuos pen tablets more or less
exclusively. Weve also got a TV and a PlayStation for
out of hours. The only hardware that you might not
see everywhere else is an office swing and a
Polaroid camera. We never cared much for
white-box office spaces.
The reliance on stout creativity and being
technologically savvy has seen exponential growth,
with the team now having to take on specific roles
and functions to continue to prosper. Gonzalez and Hugo & Marie Were definitely in the Apple camp iMacs, MacBook Pros, iPhones, iPads and so on Hugo & Marie
MVMs beautiful Rihanna illustration was remixed by Mario Hugo, for the disc art. Special thanks goes to Fanny Nordmark, Sam Hodges and our
friends at Def Jam records for their late-night teamwork Def Jam, SRP
016-021_AVP_107.indd 18 28/02/2013 17:04
019
3.1 PHILLIP LIM HOLIDAY CARD
MARIO HUGO EXPLORES THE MAKING OF THIS FASHION BRANDING PROJECT
I spoke with the client at length about the general tone of the video, with a set of pencil
sketches preceding the painted mockups. Textures from the garments were also used
throughout. These images were sent to 3.1 Phillip Lim and ensured the mood fitted the
brands Holiday collection.
Id never worked in motion before, so after initial approval I spoke with Wyeth Hanson
over at motion studio Labour (www.labour-ny.com) about the best way to proceed. He
informed me his team would be happy to receive vectors, so we created what were
essentially illustration wireframes.
Over the course of the video the viewer is climbing up a dream-like story where festive toys meet fashion ephemera. Music is another major
theme for the video and the narrative is punctuated with a dark, moody tone, which is right up my alley.
Our conference table. Theres no one around in this photo, but usually
there is something going on back here Mario Hugo, Hugo & Marie A rotating selection of reading materials and scented candles. Sometimes there are pieces to play with Hugo & Marie
We thought for a while about what to end on we didn't want to
stick any holiday clichs at the top, so stars and angels were a no.
The video begins with a toy crank and moving textures of Phillip's textiles. These were
something that really characterised the collection, so they were included from Day One.
016-021_AVP_107.indd 19 28/02/2013 17:04
020
Masha Spaic manage both agency and commercial
project productions. Creative direction and all internal
projects are handled by Hugo and the other agency
staff, including Fanny Nordmark, Sam Hodges, and
Ania Nowak. Our team of twelve artists includes
talent such as Deanne Cheuk, Mike Perry and Tom
Darracott, who focus on art direction, illustration and
design, explains Hugo.
Going forward, Hugo & Marie actively seeks to
evolve and rejuvenate itself. We tend to approach
artists were interested in representing, but the
aesthetic qualities that speak to Jennifer and I can be
pretty elusive even to us, muses Hugo. Quality
and consistency are clearly important in your work,
but there really is so much talent out there that it can
be difficult to stand out. We cant speak for all
agencies, but were really attracted to people with a
fresh perspective, who say something different.
When reviewing work, we will generally spend less
time pouring over portfolios of people with an
overwhelming variety of work. He advises you to
find a few things you do well, then continue to
improve and do them even better. Dont worry so
much about commercial viability, a little weird is
good, he adds.
With creatives working around the clock on so
many exciting and high-profile projects, the
benchmark is understandably set high. Hugo gives
us one last bit of advice. As an agency, weve
worked with clients such as Stella McCartney, Gucci,
Rihanna, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Apple, Microsoft and Nike,
he says. Weve worked with agencies including BBH,
BBDO and Yadda. Theyve all been unique learning
experiences, both creatively and in terms of
management, but the common lesson learnt and to
always remember is good things rarely come easy.
TIP 1
Clean up your desktop. After a big job we ritualistically tuck files
away into folders and toss out unnecessary clutter. Its almost a
rite of passage.
TIP 2
When were working in teams, we use Basecamp software
with clients, but we really like Kickoffs simpler task
management with the design team. This and Dropbox are
essential for our workflow.
TIP 3
We realise it can take time to acclimatise to a drawing tablet for
absolutely everything. The one-to-one ratio of a tablet means
you develop an instinct for navigating your screen space.
TIP 4
Argue politely. If you believe in something, argue its merit. I
dont care if a designer has been with us three years or three
days. If you believe in something, speak up.
TIP 5
Take breaks. We realise designers are pretty accustomed to an
unsung social martyrdom, but youre more efficient when you
take some time out.
TOP FIVE PRODUCTION TIPS
016-021_AVP_107.indd 20 28/02/2013 17:04
021
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MARIO HUGO
A blAck-And-white MondAy At hugo & MArie. MArio took the opportunity to
tAke out his iphone And docuMent office events
8:12
HEADING TO WORK EARLY
Lately Ive been coming in earlier to have some quiet
work time. Coffee quickly becomes the lifeblood of our creative day.
10:08
TAKING ON THE MORNING MEETING
We have a meeting every Monday, including video conferencing, debates
and catching up on weekend activities. This was my view when I tilted my head back.
14:00
TORO Y MOI AND OTHER CURRENT MUSICIANS
Music drowns out some noise and energises the whole office. Everyone
gets a shot at DJing. Were going on an office field trip to see Toro Y Moi this week.
16:13
MAGAZINES ON MARIOS DESK
I keep a number of magazines around. I flip through
all kinds of print material throughout the day.
17:00
BROOKLYN LIBRARY
We try to photograph any and all
inspiration, particularly when were out from behind
our monitors for meetings in the city.
17:57
A STRESS-RELIEVING SWING
Our swing is home to plenty of
informal business planning. Its great when used as a
time-out device and as a stress-reliever.
18:23
FIFA TIME
Obligatory FIFA 13 rounds. Sam
murders me, usually. The banter can get a bit
aggressive. Its a great way to unwind after work.
016-021_AVP_107.indd 21 01/03/2013 10:15

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TECHNIQUES 20 TYPE SECRETS
WE BRING YOU AN INSPIRING COLLECTION OF TYPE PROJECTS ALONG WITH
INSIDE INFO AND PRACTICAL TIPS FROM THE ARTISTS WHO CREATED THEM
JORDAN METCALF
www.jordan-metcalf.com
To create a toolkit for Boston
Magazine, artist Jordan Metcalf
decided to go for a clean bespoke type that he refined
and completed in Photoshop.
1. VINTAGE SHADOWS
The brief I was tasked with building a visually
striking typographic treatment that would work
across a contents page, DPS and various sub-section
headers of the magazine.
The inspiration The style is a play on vintage
signage that pays tribute to the rich history of the
city. It was important that this wouldnt be specific to
one place in Boston or preferential to any particular
sub-section of the feature.
Custom type All the type was completely drawn
from scratch and no fonts were used.
Creating shadows The shadows cast by the
lettering were all done in vector with a combination
of a few techniques.
Getting grainy Photoshop was used for the final
grain and highlight effects on the type.
Gradient Map I used a Gradient Map adjustment
layer in Photoshop to get the subtle muted colours
consistent throughout the toolkit.
Jordan Metcalf
20
024
20 20
024-031_AVP_107.indd 24 01/03/2013 10:54
TODD FOOSHEE
www.toddfooshee.com
With a bold font from the Avant
Garde family as a base, Todd
Fooshee set about building up a graphic type by
adding hundreds of very small birds to his project.
The font is clean, easily readable and has a really
thick, sturdy look to it [thats perfect for rebuilding]
the forms with birds. I did some adjusting to the
kerning and from there began to place birds all
around the letters. [I kept] balance in mind, but really
just placed them at random to build the words. In
terms of the specific tools for this project, I used a
pen and paper, a scanner and some basic features
inside Photoshop. Without the Invert adjustment I
would have probably had to go a different route The
layer groups were what really helped me out the
most, just to stay organised and keep things in
order After I finished the letters, it came down to
building a background texture, which I did by
combining a few images using different blending
modes then erasing [areas] and using some texture
brushes. I applied some of the bristle brushes with
my Wacom tablet to add the slight vignetting around
the top edges and then toned it down a bit with some
blending modes. There is also a lot of copy-and-
pasting work at the heart of this piece.
2. BUILDING LETTERS
HERE DESIGN
www.heredesign.co.uk
The multi-disciplinary team at Here Design decided
to let their type do the talking when creating the
packaging for the Hairy Bikers crisps brand. Coming
up with a concept to sell snacks on behalf of two
unorthodox TV chefs was a unique challenge. The
team started by developing copy lines for each
unusual flavour and sensation, as director Caz
Hildebrand explains: Once we started looking at
using just type, it quickly became obvious that this
would work well and help the packs stand out
against the competition. We were inspired by the sort
of graphic style associated with packaging that has
to travel, like cardboard boxes containing fragile
items reading This Way Up or food packaging date
stamps that read Best Before and so on. The
colours were derived from the flavours, for example
the Keralan King Prawns pack is pink both for the
colour of the prawns and the Indian feel. The logo for
the Hairy Bikers combines a spanner, a pepper pot
and a fork inside a wheel to evoke both the
motorbikes and the cooking of the duo. Each pack
has relevant language for the flavour as well as Si
and Daves seal of approval and signatures. We used
Photoshop to create the impression of old
letterpress-printed type thats a bit battered and care-
worn We mixed some of the Effects Gallery styles
with scanned textures we found to create a unique
set of textures to be used with the type.
3. COMMERCIAL PACKAGING
MARCELO SCHULTZ
www.behance.net/marceloschultz
When he was commissioned to create a T-shirt
design for Nike that would fuse trainers with a
slogan, Marcelo Schultz immediately reached
for the textures.
4. LEATHER AND TREAD
Create a mask to apply the texture you're
using. Select the type that you would like to
apply the texture to by holding Cmd/Ctrl and
clicking over the tiny image of the shape on the
Layers panel. Keeping the selection active,
create a layer folder and select Add Layer Mask,
located at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Next place the texture inside the mask, which
should fit to the exact shape. Inside that mask
you can add some shadows and create a 3D
depth effect, as you can see marked in green, to
achieve the final effect.
This image uses different textures, such as
leather and tread. Textures can improve and
lend a realistic effect to your artwork, as long as
they are of a good quality.
Todd Fooshee
Here Design
20 TYPE SECRETS TECHNIQUES
025
024-031_AVP_107.indd 25 01/03/2013 10:48
NIK AINLEY
www.shinybinary.com
Drinks giant Diageo enlisted Nik
Ainley to give a typographic
treatment to promote a line of cocktail drinks. They
wanted something with plenty of abstract and
photographic items related to each drink and centred
around 3D typography. The final design went through
many iterations, almost 40 for the first image I seem
to remember. The smooth flow from the pump to the
glass was an important part of the concept and
helped to give each illustration a shape. The first
elements to frame each piece were the pumps and
drinks, which came from specially taken photos.
After this I discussed with the art director what sort
of typography would work. From experience I knew
that a fairly simple font was needed, as when you
extrude a font you introduce a lot of new surfaces
that can confuse the eye. In the middle of complex
illustrations like these you need to keep things as
legible as possible. Using a simple chunky font
minimises the confusing effect, so thats what I went for. The 3D letters were then built in 3ds Max and
positioned. An excellent 3D artist and friend, Marcelo Jr, was involved heavily in this part of the process. Even
after the 3D elements were brought into Photoshop, the piece consisted of many layers that enabled me to
continue tweaking it as I went. From there it was a case of creating all the other aspects that consisted of
stock photos, images captured for the project, decorative 3D elements and sections built in Photoshop. I
brought all of these together with a heavy dose of retouching and editing.
7. FLOWING EFFECTS
ANTHONY GIACOMINO
www.agiaco.net
Anthony Giacomino teamed up with Richard
Roberts (www.richardroberts.com) to create
an other-worldly type project for the Intrinsic
Nature art collective. Bold 3D lettering takes
centre-stage, enhanced by light effects and
futuristic elements, as the team explains: For
this piece we started with a base in CINEMA 4D
to make the 3D type, lighting and also an
assortment of geometric shapes. After
importing this into Photoshop, we added more
atmosphere and light emitting from the top, in
addition to some light effects.
The piece needed some more colour, so we
sampled pinks and oranges to complement the
cool blue and navy tones. For the final details we
added a few other points of interest, such as the
figure on the right and some foreground shapes
to add depth and dimension. We utilised
blending modes such as Screen and Overlay
when playing with stocks and other elements to
create some unique effects.
5. 3D TYPE
Anthony Giacomino and Richard Roberts
MARCUS BYRNE
www.behance.net/mobdesign
Marcus Byrne created this striking lighting typography for Cricket Australia/George
Patterson Y&R in Melbourne. The illuminated fluorescent design includes detailed light
effects and bright colours and was reproduced in all hues across the colour palette. The type was used in
extensive applications across the range of marketing materials for T20 cricket. Here you can see some of the
stages in Byrnes process.
6. ILLIUMINATE IT
Nik Ainley
026
024-031_AVP_107.indd 26 01/03/2013 10:48
LUKE LUCAS
www.lukelucas.com
The team at Esquire magazine required an innovative
and stylish headline treatment for a grooming
section of the publication. Here Luke Lucas runs
through how he approached this task.
8. GRAPHICAL HAIR
EUGENE LVOVSKY
www.eugenelvovsky.com
If youve ever thought that standard type options are incredibly boring and if youre
reading this I bet you have try looking at them through Eugene Lvovskys eyes.
Instead of seeing letters, he sees shapes, and has used this approach to create his
series of Type Is posters. You can see the full series here www.eugenelvovsky.
com/typeis. The inspiration for the series is the immense beauty of typographic
forms. Simply spotting a beautiful descender on a typographic character could easily
grow into the question, Can I make this into a flower? I take this step further by
creating a visually pleasing
relationship between every
single character, respecting
and being true to its unique
shape. Everything is
thoughtfully interconnected,
every character, every
shoulder, stem and serif.
There are no letters
accidentally placed together
in my images and the
accessibility of Photoshop
helps enormously when
working on made-to-order
prints. Everything from a
Gradient Map to Hue/
Saturation adjustment
layers save time when Im
perfecting a bespoke colour
combination for a client.
9. USE A NEW PERSPECTIVE
ANDR BEATO
www.andrebeato.com
Andr Beato created a playful type for easyJet, merging bold letters
with different elements. The brief behind this project was to create a
main type header for an article called The Next Big Thing. The idea was
to play (bastardise, overlap or italicise) with the header title text,
combining the four stories related to the article, namely Northern
Lights, Cycle like the Pros, Ice Climbing and Sleep-Inducing Machines. I
started the illustration process in the vector program FreeHand MX and
tried to find the best way to combine the text block I used the
magazine house font called Benton then drew the elements to adapt
and join them with the text. I always try to create something legible but
appealing at the same time. The process concluded in Photoshop,
where I added all the little details like shadows, glows, brush-star
effects and colour adjustments.
10. PLAY WITH TYPE
Initial brief I was asked to create a type
illustration and some hairy graphical elements.
Base text The client wanted to evolve the
illustration from their standard condensed sans
serif, into something that was more dynamic and
relative to the theme.
Creating hair I next built up all the hair elements
using very fine strokes drawn with the Pen Path tool
in Illustrator.
Making hair brushes I created several hair
brushes and applied them to paths in the shapes that
I felt would work the best on the different letters. I
then made some slight distortions using the Mesh
Warp tool.
Copy layers I added in some hair highlight layers
using fine paths. I then copied both the base hair and
highlights into Photoshop in separate layers.
Add highlights I hid and made a selection of the
highlight layers and brushed them within the
selected shape on a separate layer. This brought
more variation to overall design.
Luke Lucas
Andre Beato,
Ryan McCabe
Eugene Lvovsky
027
024-031_AVP_107.indd 27 01/03/2013 10:49
LINZIE HUNTER
www.linziehunter.co.uk
Skinny Cow and JWT New York were in need of a fresh interpretation of
their campaign copy, so they got illustrator Linzie Hunter to apply her
unique style. Sometimes Ill create my lettering on paper, while other
times I play about with colours and styles directly in Photoshop. For this
series of ads I worked fully in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet and pen.
I concentrated on creating lettering that looked and felt hand-rendered
and more in-keeping with my personal style. I like to mix and match
typefaces with upper- and lower-case characters, as I feel this lends
energy to my work and I prefer everything to not feel too neat or perfect.
Sometimes its obvious which words need greater emphasis, but for me
its usually just more of a hunch when it comes to developing or picking
lettering styles I used a variety of custom brushes in order to achieve
a more painterly or hand-rendered effect and also used my own
textures, either scanned, photographed or hand-drawn. I also tend to
have a lot of layers set to Multiply or Overlay in order to create textural
effects and backgrounds. Sometimes with these hand-lettering
assignments, the arrangement of words and letters just dont fit the
space youve got in the way youd like.
12. DIGITAL HAND LETTERING
Linda Zacks
All images Lizzie Hunter/JWT New York
LINDA ZACKS
www.extra-oomph.com
Linda Zacks usually originates her elements with
real-world media, but here shares her tips on how to
marry these perfectly in Photoshop. RPA in Santa
Monica asked me to create an artful interpretation of
the Newport Beach Film Festival name. This
typographic collage was born from a stack of city
shots taken while zooming around at night I went
through heaps of photos, picking out awesome
shapes and colours. In Photoshop I had a zillion
windows open simultaneously and pasted stuff into
a giant master file with a billion layers. Slowly but
surely the letters came to life from several bits and
pieces of photos as I sized, resized and transformed
them. I also added some watercolour textures over
the top that I had scanned in one rainy day. Nothing
originated in Photoshop, but I used it as a virtual
gluestick. For this project I used lots of layer
functions as well as Multiply, Screen and Overlay
blending modes. To finish I punched up the colour to
add the last burst of zing.
11. REALWORLD ELEMENTS
028
024-031_AVP_107.indd 28 01/03/2013 10:49
STEVE GOODIN
www.behance.net/demen1
Steve Goodin gave a funky yet classy edge to this
piece of marketing material for a Reno electronic
music event. The initial idea stemmed from the title
of the event. I was given creative control over the
theme and style of the poster so I really wanted to
set the tone and the vibe based on that title. This
poster was created using some 3D type elements as
well as some other stock photography and
illustrated graphics. For example, the lightbulb
images and vintage flowery wallpaper pattern came
from a deviantART member.
14. VINTAGE 3D
Luke Lucas
LUKE LUCAS
www.lukelucas.com
Freelance creative Luke Lucas
was asked to design this sweet
and savoury graphic for the dining section of The
New York Times, using Poplar as a secondary
typeface. This illustration began with defining
the main glass shape and the stylised wine
pouring inside it in loose vector shapes. The
main type was then created using Vector
Paths in Illustrator, while the secondary
type was set in the Poplar typeface and
distorted to fit using the Mesh Warp
tool. In terms of the creative process,
the wine shapes were brought into
Photoshop as separate objects and
colour, highlights and shadows were
applied to enhance the depth of tone.
The main type was then filled with
colour and the shadow details within
the letters were masked and brushed
to define overlapping elements. The
warped secondary type objects were
overlayed using layer effects, then it
came to building the glass. The
background of the image was to be
white, so in order to define highlights
on a white background I first
needed to add a slight grey tint
to the whole glass shape.
This was placed on the
bottom layer so as not to tint
the actual wine itself. Next I
brushed in the highlights and
shadows in separate layers
above the wine and type
shape layers. Some faint
reflection shapes were also masked and brushed in.
Once the main type and glass objects were rendered
to a fairly polished level I placed all of the wine and
type elements into a layer group. To finish, I
duplicated and applied masks to the groups,
separating the objects between those inside and
those outside the glass.
13. POPLAR IN A GLASS
Main idea
The brief was to incorporate various
flavours and descriptors associated
with wine in an artistic way.
Two typefaces
Lucas mixed two typefaces, placing one
centre-stage as Sweet and Savoury and
the other to spell out associated words in
the glass.
Refracted effect
By separating and shifting
elements in the glass, Lucas
could imitate a slightly refracted
distortion to create a realistic finish.
Highlights and Shadows
Painted highlights and shadows gave
definition to the type and the wine
background, adding depth and interest.
All images Steve Goodin
029
024-031_AVP_107.indd 29 01/03/2013 10:49
JOEY CAMACHO
www.joeycamacho.com
Inspired by a period of his life when he wanted to slow down and appreciate the simpler
things, Joey Camacho created a typographic poster series to echo his ideas. My process
with this project, as with all my typographic work, started with word-pairing or putting
together the concept for a series of images. I used Burgues Script for this as it has
thousands of glyphs and alternative characters. Balancing out the words and using the
flourishes sparingly was important. Some people dont spend the time required to
understand the entire font, which I think is really important. When I get the images into
Photoshop I use the Alpha channels and layer masks to tweak the colours, enhance the
lighting and give them a tactile feel. The textured background is made up of quite a few
different layers, reduced in opacity and overlaid. This often gives more depth than just one
texture layer. I use custom dust and scratch brushes, while also using the Dual Brush
feature to add some randomness and inconsistencies to the final result. I spend quite a bit
of time dodging and burning the reflections and shadows, which helps make them pop. I
also often use Color Balance and Curves adjustments to finesse the final product.
17. EXPERIMENT WITH TONES
JURI ZAECH
www.juri-zaech.com
Starting with an initially rough sketch, Juri Zaech gave these quirky
personalised bicycles all their touching character using
Photoshops toolset.
15. FROM HANDDRAWN TO 3D
SI SCOTT
www.siscottstudio.com
Working to a brief for Nike, full-time artist, designer and creative consultant Si Scott built a
unique typography-lead image. The design fuses the kit of a well-known football team with
the words its fans sing at matches. The brief was to make the footballers from famous
chants that the Paris Saint-Germain fans sing at their beloved teams games. The piece
was used as three-storey-high banners on the side of the Nike store in Paris for the launch
of that seasons kit, he says. The result
shows the famous kit, complete with Nike
swoosh, worn by a man built purely from
type. To create the image, Scott fused his
well-known style of hand-crafted work with
his Photoshop expertise. The image was
drawn by hand in separate parts, scanned
into Photoshop and pieced together in the
program. The Magic Wand tool was used as
a selection tool to get rid of the negative
space. It was also helpful to remove marks
left on the paper from the drawing process,
which cant be seen by the naked eye. From
there a mask layer was added to the type so
the colour could be added.
16. TYPE FOR TALL BUILDINGS
The Write a Bike series started with my own wish to create a
personalised bicycle, so using the name of the owner seemed a
logical and interesting way to demonstrate this. The process
started with sketching up a rough shape of the bike and the name,
to see how tight the letters needed to be spaced to maintain a
somewhat natural proportion.
I drew the bike in Illustrator, starting with the basic elements and
the lettering of the chosen name. It took a lot of adjustments to get
to the even structure of the bikes frame. Once all the vector work
was finished, I took the different elements to Photoshop to render
the 3D effect.
I mainly used simple Bevel and Emboss layer effects. It was
important to pay attention to the details like the colour of the
shades and obviously the amount of embossing. The reflection
elements needed to be blurred, have their opacity reduced and
other partial adjustments. The background, shadows, reflections
and textures were all finishing touches. Joey Camacho
Nike/ Simon Scott
030
024-031_AVP_107.indd 30 01/03/2013 10:50
CHARLES WILLIAMS
www.madeup.org
The Church of London commissioned different artists to depict
various Olympic athletes for the cover of the Metro newspaper
during the games. The brief specified that only the portrait had to be recognisable and
include the athletes names. Charles Williams depicted Louis Smith with a
combination of hard-edged and soft flowing shapes, in reference to the strength and
graceful movement required of gymnasts. Once Id put together a rough layout I
started building the vector design in Illustrator, then added detail in Photoshop. I based
the type on the shapes I used to build the portrait flowing organic shapes then
gave it a bit of a circus feel, as this sat well with the gymnast figures above. I built the
type in Illustrator then added depth and a soft 3D feel in Photoshop using Bevel and
Emboss. To get this effect I set the Bevel and Emboss adjustments Highlight Mode to
Overlay and created individual layers for each letters bevel. This prevented the bevels
from bleeding into one another and distorting.
19. TWIST VECTORS
BEN DOWNARD
www.cargocollective.com/downard
Ben Downard created a concrete type graphic to raise awareness of the events in Haiti. He
worked across CINEMA 4D, Illustrator and of course Photoshop to add texture and bring
together the final effect. The result is a solid graphic that portrays the destruction. For the
aesthetic of the project I wanted something stark, sterile and in a duo tone to illustrate the
idea of devastation and its impact on a clean environment. For the concrete effect I used
two photographs: a macro shot of basic concrete for the texture and a macro shot of dry,
cracked, muddy earth. From that point on I applied with masks and lighting effects used as
layer styles. This achieved a painterly and illustrative effect for the remnants of a building
left standing after the earthquake.
18. REPLICATE CRACKED CONCRETE
STEFAN CHINOF
www.behance.net/chin2off
Inspired by horror films and a love of candy, Stefan Chinof turned the
Helvetica typeface into a fun take on a terrifying texture. I was inspired
by a poster for a horror movie that had a very organic, bloody and sort of
raw-meat-looking texture! Since Im a big comedy junkie and not at all
a horror fan, I thought of how I could make this effect a bit more fun and
juicy. Helvetica isnt a font thats usually seen in such an abstraction, so
it was an interesting challenge on top of using the negative space
around the font. Using negative space always has great power but is
rarely used in this way. The tools I applied the most for this project were
the blending options as well as the Bevel and Emboss adjustment.
Shapes were quite useful too and a great addition, but drawing the idea
out to start was the base of it all.
20. RETHINK HELVETICA
Stefan Chinof
Ben Downard
Charles Williams
031
024-031_AVP_107.indd 31 01/03/2013 10:50
Larry Ewing
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12 month minimum contract term applies. Visit 1and1.co.uk for full offer details, terms and conditions. Prices exclude VAT. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Your website data is stored
simultaneously in two geographically
separate high-performance 1&1 Data
Centres, with automatic daily
back-ups included.
MAXIMUM RELIABILITY
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
At 1&1 we provide advanced solutions for even the
most demanding web projects choose from our
exible Windows and Linux hosting packages for the
latest in technology and programming.
1&1 offers NEW: Microsoft
ASP.NET 4.0/4.5,
the latest programming technology for developers,
helping to create modern, professional websites with
1&1 Windows Web Hosting. Linux professionals
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unlimited access to 1&1 Click & Build Applications
and more with 1&1 Linux Web Hosting.
1&1 Data Centres are powered by
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DPS.indd 2 25/02/2013 10:39

DISCOVER THE PERSONAL TECHNIQUES
SUPPLIED BY OUR EXPERTS TO CREATE
FLAWLESS IMAGES AND ADVANCE
YOUR PHOTOSHOP RETOUCH SKILLS

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034
034-039_AVP_107.indd 34 01/03/2013 12:11
PRO RETOUCHING TECHNIQUES
R
etouching is a secretive trade at the best of
times, but here Advanced Photoshop
blows the lid off commercial effects once
more. In this feature we show you how to
apply professional product-retouch techniques.
Admittedly, in an arena preoccupied with beauty
examples, retouching commercial products may not
be at the top of your agenda. However, mastering
this type of retouching will add a vital string to your
creative bow. Avenues into product retouching are
varied and should be taken full advantage of, if you
are looking to make a living from your skills. Image
editors can find a number of unique fields to operate
within, such as apparel, jewellery, automotive,
beverages and technology.
Commercial clients know their products are a
gateway to the world of consumers, so they strive to
present a perfect portrayal for print and online
campaigns. This means they regularly employ
retouchers to ensure quality is always at a high
standard. Therefore, even when working with
everyday products, your portfolio needs to
demonstrate aesthetic detail.
In this feature our industry experts show you how
to achieve images that will rouse viewers, achieving
professional looks using the power of Photoshop.
Well also explore CG retouching and reveal how this
trend is rapidly evolving.
BEVERAGE RETOUCHING
When retouching any beverage product your starting
point is a strong photograph. The pre-production
shoot is an essential phase, as the shots you begin
with need to be as high-resolution as possible. Your
initial images will determine how much detail is
available to work with and this influences the quality
of your final image. Digital artist Craig Minchington
(www.adoradesign.co.uk) agrees, adding: Youll
want your shot to be lit well. Adding highlights [later]
is one thing, but you dont want to have to fake
[these] too much.
Lighting also plays an important part in
successfully presenting the theme of an image, as
Minchington explains further: For fruit drinks you
want the product to look really refreshing, whereas
for a whisky brand you may want to portray
smoothness and class, in-keeping with the brands
ethics. Minchington applies a mixture of Curves and
Levels adjustment layers to establish these moods.
I also experiment with the Dodge and Burn tools to
really bring out contrast, accentuating the shadows
and enhancing highlights, he adds.
However, Minchington admits that there is no
exact science applied to every project. Effects will
need probing and can be repeated a few times until
the desired effect is achieved. Despite this, he does
have one effective routine for smoothing glass
surfaces, which is extremely valuable for this type of
retouch. Applying a mixture of gradients and
brushing in colour can be a very effective way of
[doing this], he says. I tend to use these effects for
soft highlights, which works really well when dealing
with liquids. As many beverage products have
recognisable branding, controlling colour is essential.
Both the liquid colour and the label artwork need to
be exact. I will generally supply CMYK breakdowns
then colour-pick areas, using Channel Mixer
adjustment layers to achieve the desired tones,
Minchington reveals.
RETOUCHING BALLANTINES WHISKY
MINCHINGTON EXPLAINS HOW HE USED PHOTOSHOP TO RETOUCH THIS LATEST PROMOTIONAL KEY VISUAL
01
COMPOSITE THE IMAGE
Six photos were combined to achieve the
final image. One shot was used to get an overall
tone, while areas such as the neck were shot using
extra light, shining through to show the golden
colour of the whisky. I overlaid each section in layers.
02
WORK OUT BLEMISHES
I added layer masks to each photograph
using a soft black brush to integrate edges. This left
me with one well-lit shot. A mixture of applied colour
brushing (hold Opt/Alt to pick neighbouring tones)
and applying the Clone Stamp got rid of blemishes.
03
CORRECT WITH CHANNEL MIXER
Once Id cleaned the image, I colour-picked
areas then applied Channel Mixer adjustment layers
to correct these. To finish I used a Color Balance
adjustment layer to add a hint of blue to the shadows
as well as to match the background.
035
CRAIG MINCHINGTON
www.adoradesign.co.uk
Minchington is a Welsh digital
artist living in Bristol who works
under the alias Adora. Hes
worked on a lot of retouching
projects, both at home and in the
Epoch Design studio.
ANGELA CARLSON
www.angelacarlson.com
20 years ago Angela Carlson fell
in love with Photoshop while
working on her high-school
yearbook. After studying Graphic
Design and Photography, she
now works as a retoucher.
SARAH BARKER
www.pocketrocket.com.au
Sarah Barker fell into retouching
after starting a career in design
and later moving into pre-media.
She is completely self-taught in
Photoshop and is the director of
Pocket Rocket Productions.
DARIUS DAVIS
www.dariusdavis.com
All of Davis skills are self-taught
through trial-and-error, videos
and publications. He feels you
have to explore Photoshops
menus and blending modes to
find your own style.
ARTEM KOLOMEICHUK
http://positivepictures.net
Kolomeichuk is a designer born
and raised in Ukraine. His
primary goal in life is to make a
living out of doing something he
loves. Currently hes working at
Positive Pictures studio.
MEET THE EXPERTS
034-039_AVP_107.indd 35 01/03/2013 12:15
036
TECHNIQUES PRO RETOUCHING
APPAREL RETOUCHING
Working with apparel can include a whole host
of garments. Canvas shoes, cotton clothes and
even metallic watches all fall under this one
category. Watches are one of the most detailed
subjects to tackle, which actually makes them
one of the most satisfying to retouch.
This is why professional artists like Angela
Carlson (www.angelacarlson.com) value the
tools Photoshop and Camera Raw supply, as
they enable image editors the ability to create
stunning looks. Lighting, sharpness and clarity
are key, she explains. My goal is to create a soft
glow, but still maintain a crisp overall
appearance portraying the best possible
quality with snappy colour, while keeping true to the
actual merchandise.
A photo with multiple watches made of different
materials may require several different exposures. It
can be difficult to capture a group of watches with
black leather and silver textures in just one shot,
reveals Carlson. I prefer working with multiple
exposures, but when Im unable to obtain them I
open my file in Camera Raw. I use Fill Light to open
up shadows and Recovery to bring back highlights
that may have been blown. The Clarity slider adds
contrast to the midtones. Once in Photoshop,
retouchers often apply Adjustments>Shadows/
Highlights>Shadow Amount and Tonal Width sliders
to enhance the detail further.
Colour accuracy is as important as ever, in order
to properly represent each specific material.
Sometimes you will have platinum, silver and white
gold all in a single shot. Its important to make the
visual distinction between each one. I use a
combination of Curves, Channel Mixer and Selective
Color adjustment layers to reach my desired results,
Carlson reveals.
With most watch shots looking more sleek and
smooth, the only time a retoucher adds texture is
when theyve brushed in highlights and have lost the
original photographs grain. Carlson tells us: When
this is the case, I add noise at a low opacity, which I
add a very slight Gaussian Blur to in order to
reintroduce [lost] grain texture.
Carlson advises you to always work in RGB at full
size, then convert your final layered file to a Smart
Object before switching to CMYK mode or resizing.
This enables you to maintain consistent quality
when repurposing, she explains.
I prefer working with multiple exposures, but when Im unable
to obtain them I open my file in Camera Raw
ANGELA CARSON / WWW.ANGELACARSON.COM
SEARS CANADA HOLIDAY CATALOGUE WATCHES
CREATE ALLURING COMMERCIAL RETOUCH IMAGES USING SIMPLE PHOTOSHOP AND CAMERA RAW TECHNIQUES
001
Make global moves to improve
contrast, colour and clarity in
Camera Raw. Pen Path an outline
around the watch then save
feathered selections as Alpha
channels. Clean dirt then smudge or
clone out shadows and reflections.
002
Select with your Alpha channel
masks and apply Curves adjustment
layers, balancing lighting across all
products. Shadows/Highlights can
help bring out and emphasise details
in darker areas. Use Channel Mixer
and Selective Color to correct tones.
003
Correct all watches so they are set
to the same time and date. Clone or
paste higher-quality stones from
one image into another, placing
these over any poor-quality ones.
Also, make sure knob stems are
pressed in fully.
004
Brush low-opacity white reflections
onto the faces of the watches to
produce a shine. Sharpen these by
applying the High Pass filter to the
faces and stone layers. Set High
Pass layers to Soft or Vivid Light
blending modes.
005
Put all the layers in a masked Group
file, revealing only the product. Add
a white-filled layer thats masked
using a gradient. Convert all the
layers to Smart Objects and make
adjustments for colour shifting
when converting to CMYK.
Schawk!
034-039_AVP_107.indd 36 01/03/2013 12:11
037
PORTFOLIO WORK FROM POCKET ROCKET
SOME EXAMPLES OF THE COMMERCIAL RESULTS FROM SARAH BARKERS RETOUCH COMPANY
JEWELLERY RETOUCHING
Preparing jewellery for a shoot is the first step
towards obtaining a choice retouch image. Great
care must be taken when lighting the product, in
order to achieve the best starting point. Making sure
the product is as clean as possible when its shot is
just as important. Items need to be polished by
the jeweller prior to the shoot.
These are the first stages towards producing
what creative retoucher Sarah Barker (www.
pocketrocket.com.au) describes as a
flawless image that looks covetable,
desirable and resonates with the consumer.
Surfaces must be free from blemishes, with
reflections removed or blended.
Barker uses a combination of Clone Stamp
and brushes to clean up and perfect surfaces.
The precious metal colour must be adjusted,
sometimes neutralised, and gemstones must
appear crisp and detailed, she tells us. This can
be achieved using Levels, Curves, Channel Mixer
and Hue/Saturation layers. I often stack several of
these adjustments on top of one another to create
the desired effects.
Lighting is often controlled manually, with Barker
wielding the Brush tool to create shadows from
scratch. These are built up in a series of layers to
achieve authentic results. I create a dense primary
shadow and a softer secondary shadow, using
values from the original image as a guideline.
Sharpening is applied by duplicating the final
image into a new layer and a High Pass filter at a
Radius of 3.0 pixels is then added. The duplicate
layers blending mode is set to either Soft Light or
Hard Light depending on the sharpening required.
Gemstones are made detailed by combining adjustment layers
Per Ericson Photography www.per-ericson.com
Remove any blemishes with the Clone Stamp and Brush tools
Per Ericson Photography www.per-ericson.com
034-039_AVP_107.indd 37 01/03/2013 12:11
038
TECHNOLOGY RETOUCHING
When shooting and retouching technology products,
photo editors will focus on creating bright highlights,
printable blacks and sharpness. Professional
photographer Darius Davis (www.dariusdavis.com)
explains further: I focus on using subtle gradients to
bring attention to a products strengths, hiding any
imperfections via the lighting or camera angle.
If the initial photo is poor quality then it will rarely
become a commercial-standard image in the end.
Davis believes that if you must use Photoshop tricks
extensively, this will ultimately degrade pixels and
become evident. He adds: My standards begin
in-camera. I prefer to composite parts rather than
create pixels. I truly believe that theres a texture of
light that cant be achieved outside of the capture.
Davis uses up to ten images when compositing.
These include a bracketed shot as a base image, a
screen burn-in shot, the background without the
product and shots made for special instances, such
as shadows or where strobe lights have been added
or removed. Bracketing provides real pixels and
textures for necessary lighting adjustments in post,
Davis explains. I shoot burned-in screens with
strobes on, model lights off and a slow shutter
speed. This produces realistic and manageable
screenshots for compositing.
Davis will turn to Photoshop adjustments where
necessary to create gloss effects. His go-to tools are
Curves and blending modes. Ill create a new layer,
with the blending mode set to Overlay, and apply the
Brush tool set to Lighten in increments of three per
cent. I make adjustments in small percentages and
often find myself pulling back the Opacity to between
10% and 30%, then duplicate the layer. I apply
Multiply [blending mode] for dark areas and Divide
[blending mode] for light areas.
He also reveals how he quickly applies highlights,
which also begins with a new layer. I then select the
Elliptical Marquee tool and create a circle twice the
size of the area I want to highlight, he explains.
I choose Select>Refine Edge and apply a Feather to
the selection between 50px and 125px. The larger
the Feather radius, the subtler the gradient is. I fill my
feathered selection with a light grey (approximately
210 RGB values in Color Picker), add a layer mask,
select a 5% Eraser tool and refine the shape and
intensity of the highlight.
COMPOSITE YOUR SCREENS
DARIUS DAVIS SHOWS US HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS EFFECT IN PHOTOSHOP, RATHER THAN WITH SCREEN BURN-IN SHOTS
01
ADDING THE SCREEN
Import your screen burn-in image into your
layered retouch image, labelling the layer Screen.
Path the screen and add a layer mask to eliminate
everything except for the screen itself.
03
ADD A BLENDING MODE
Duplicate your screen layer and place the copy behind any highlight effect layers. Set Opacity of the
copy layer to 50% and set the blending mode to Screen.
02
FIT TO THE PRODUCT
Use Free Transform to resize and shape the
screen to match the orientation. With this active, Ctrl/
right-click and select Warp, Distort or Perspective to
make the image look natural.
TECHNIQUES PRO RETOUCHING
034-039_AVP_107.indd 38 01/03/2013 12:12
039
NEW CHEVROLET AVEO ADVERT
ARTEM KOLOMEICHUK, A POST-PRODUCTION DESIGNER AT POSITIVE PICTURES, TAKES US THROUGH THE AUTOMOTIVE RETOUCH
TECHNIQUES THAT WERE APPLIED TO THIS COMMERCIAL PROJECT
Artem Kolomeichuk (www.behance.net/kason)
believes that one of the most important criteria for
commercial retouching at Positive Pictures (www.
positivepictures.net) is achieving realism in a final
result. "For example, in this project for Chevrolets
brand-new Aveo, we implemented a building by
inventing fully 3D architecture," he explains.
Understanding the physics of light, composition,
perspective and layout of objects in the frame was
essential, as with any work of art including
photography. Skills used to produce these effects are
used often by the Positive Pictures team .
Referring to the car specifically, this was
assembled from a variety of individually rendered
elements inside Photoshop. "Each element has
specific individual light and volume information
applied," Kolomeichuk reveals. "By correctly
assembling all these sections together we obtained
a result that closely matched the requirements of
our customer."
Sophisticated compositing meant each layered
image had its own mood, but that wasn't always the
same as the original render or photo material. "This
meant we had to draw flares and shadow mainly
using the Paths and Brush tools," Kolomeichuk tells
us. Each element, both the photo and 3D layer, were
corrected separately. "This gave us the ability to
precisely tune and correct the image," he adds. "A
specific example would be in the car's different parts.
We worked separately with the wheels, glass,
interior and the body. We often applied the Motion
Blur filter, creating a dynamic image."
The application of textures helps a lot in this sort
of image, where there are apparent weather
conditions. Dirt, water and even snow textures can
be added to induce an atmosphere. The Add Noise
filter is often used for realism.
Colour correction became essential when
finishing the image. "It's the colour that gives the
general perception of the image," explains
Kolomeichuk. "Every image goes through this and
Photoshop features [especially adjustment layers]
enable us to get perfect results. For colour
correction, we only use Photoshop."
For more on automotive retouching, check out
photographer Scott Dukes dedicated feature tutorial
over the next few pages, where he reveals how to
professionally enhance two luxury cars.
The final piece as it appeared in Chevrolets new Aveo advert Chevrolet, Vasyl Shulga (Positive Pictures Ltd)
Using renders, the team created a clear model composition Vasyl Shulga
The final rendering of the car Vasyl Shulga
Here you can clearly see how the team produced the object rendering Vasyl Shulga
NEXT ISSUE... OUR RETOUCHING FEATURE CONTINUES. EXPERTS SHARE THEIR TECHNIQUES ON HOW PHOTOSHOP IS APPLIED TO ARCHITECTURE IN THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY.
034-039_AVP_107.indd 39 01/03/2013 12:12
040 040
TECHNIQUES EXPERT AUTOMOTIVE RETOUCHING
CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL TIPS FOR
ENHANCING A COMMERCIAL PHOTO
PHOTO EDITING
EXPERT AUTOMOTIVE
RETOUCHING
W
hen retouching youll find yourself in a
much better place if you have multiple
files to pull from, especially when each
and every one combines into one final
image. Everything from camera angle and height to
the direction of the light needs to be consistent if
were to achieve realistic results.
Unfortunately this isnt the case most of the time.
Whether there are constraints while shooting, or the
retouching of a specific image turns out to be an
afterthought, we can find ourselves at the mercy of
one lonely file. This means we could be left with
having to make a whole lot of something from a
whole lot of nothing.
Here well be exploring the creative and technical
possibilities of retouching a photograph of a vehicle,
starting from a single RAW base file, then wielding
Photoshop to finalise the results.
From the foreground to the background well go
over everything you need to complete the retouch,
including the processing of the RAW file, digitally
painting the cars and creating a dust-kicking burnout
effect. All this will be completed in Photoshop
without any additional applications or plug-ins.
SCOTT DUKES
www.dukesphotography.com
OUR EXPERT
Scott is a commercial and editorial
photographer born, raised and living
in Los Angeles, California. His client
list includes Lexus, Scion, Toyota,
Harley Davidson, Vitamin Water,
Automobile Magazine, Playboy and
RIDES Magazine.
@scottdukes
RETOUCHING FROM RAW
FILE TO SHARP RESULT
WORK IN
PROGRESS
Progress 1: Open your shot
Progress 2: New background
Progress 3: Burnout smoke
START WITH THE BASICS
BREAK DOWN THE IMAGE INTO MULTIPLE SECTIONS TO GIVE YOURSELF THE UTMOST CONTROL
01
PROCESS THE RAW FILE
Start with a RAW file or files that offer the
most flexibility for retouching. Utilising the Dynamic
Range option is key, because if youre stuck with
only one file you can process it multiple times for
various elements. Its fortunate we have soft, even
lighting in this image, so we only need to process
once to get a good starting file.
03
ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION
The saying work before play holds a lot of
weight here. In general its a good idea to start off by
doing the bulk of any retouching before moving into
the creative work. This is where wed want to
complete any obvious work with the Clone Stamp or
Healing Brush tools, which usually means the
removal of all distracting artefacts.
02
BREAK DOWN THE IMAGE
Its always best to divide your elements,
then package each in a Group folder. Make a
selection of the elements in each folder then apply a
layer mask to the folder itself. This enables you to
include effects but isolate them to individual areas.
Here a good starting point for us is the background,
the Dodge Viper and the Mercedes SLS.
040-044_AVP_107.indd 40 28/02/2013 17:06
COMMERCIAL AUTOMOTIVE RETOUCHING TECHNIQUES
041
START IMAGE
040-044_AVP_107.indd 41 28/02/2013 17:06
040 042
04
SET THE TONE
With the layer masks in place and the bulk
of the work on the pixels done, we can move to the
fun stuff. Starting with overall adjustments, we
create a Global folder to keep everything in place. To
avoid committing to anything, its best to work in a
non-destructive manner by using adjustment layers.
By applying Selective Color, for example, we can
increase the contrast in the sky by adding blacks to
cyans and blues but removing them from whites.
07
REPLACE THE SKY
As we started off with only one RAW file, this is where having a library of random images, such as
skies, comes in handy. Picking a specific sky image will minimise any distractions, as well as alleviate the
tension from the horizon line cutting through the roof of the SLS. This new sky works great, as the direction of
the light is close enough and the mountains nicely frame the cars. We can integrate the skyline by applying to
a layer mask manually. Plant the back plate farther into the distance by applying a slight Motion Blur filter to it.
05
EMPHASISE THE SUBJECT
To pull more texture and contrast out of the
road, we can use a Channel Mixer adjustment layer
with Monochrome checked and a Blue Channel
set to either an Overlay or Soft Light blending mode.
To add a quick vignette, make a heavily feathered
selection where the vignette will be and apply a
Levels adjustment layer to control the effect. While
enhancing the feel of the road surface, we can also
help direct more attention to our subjects.
06
ADD LAYER MASKS
As were breaking down the image more
and more, well come across situations where
certain tools work better than others. As we isolate
the rest of the background from the road surface, the
Polygonal Lasso tool works best. As there isnt a
clear-cut line in the pixels, we can quickly add a
feathered selection along the outside of the road
then apply the mask. This can be controlled manually
using soft-edged black and white brushes.
08
APPLY SELECTIVE COLOR
With the background set for now, we can
move our focus towards the cars. As the Dodge Viper
has three dominant colours in its paint, the Selective
Color tool can provide great control when we start to
dial in the colour and tonality. The CMYK sliders for
every tone enable us to adjust contrast, saturation,
hue, colour balance and more in the whites, blacks
and reds of the car.
QUICK TIP
Use adjustment layers such as Levels, Curves
and Hue/Saturation, as they offer endless
flexibility. Everything is non-committal and
non-destructive to pixels. As with any other layer,
these can be toggled on and off as needed and
can be set to any desired blending mode.
040-044_AVP_107.indd 42 28/02/2013 17:07
043
EXPERT AUTOMOTIVE RETOUCHING TECHNIQUES
09
TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS
Starting with the background enables us to set the stage first, then clean things up as we move
forward. Not much work is needed for the Mercedes SLS at this point, so with a few global and specific
adjustment layers were able to fine-tune the overall tonality of the vehicle to match the rest of the image.
10
APPLY WINDOW REFLECTIONS
With the basic retouching finished, we can
now sit back and survey the creative potential of the
image. At a quick glance the windows of both
vehicles could use a little more detail. Use the Pen
tool to apply precise selections of the windows, then
create duplicate layers for each so as not to affect the
pixels below. Cmd/Ctrl-click the layer thumbnail,
make a selection of your copy layer and apply the
Gradient tool to this window layer. Set a white-to-
transparent Gradient Style at 60% Opacity to achieve
a reflective effect.
11
ADD HEADLIGHT REFLECTIONS
Make a feathered selection of the headlights
and add a Hue/Saturation layer. Activate the Colorize
option, set Saturation at 40 and Lightness at 20. The
Hue settings depend on the vehicle. From here you
can double-click the layer to open the Layer Styles
options. Applying both Outer and Inner Glow, we can
create the desired radiance with the slider options. To
create the flare, apply with a star-shaped brush and
apply a slight Blur filter to soften the edges.
12
THE DIGITAL PAINT BOOTH
As the SLSs paint is a silver we can easily
change it. First we need to create a new selection
with the paint isolated. Use the correct Group mask
to make your selection and edit out anything that
isnt going to change colour namely the windscreen
and lights. Add a layer and fill it with the new colour,
in this case a sample of the factory red. Change this
layers blending mode to Color and apply any
adjustments needed to alter the settings.
13
REPLICATE BURNOUT DUST
Looking to add a bit more action to the
image, we can create the effect of burnout dust in a
few quick steps. This is where our second additional
file comes into play. With a photo of smoke against a
black background, drag the file into the correct
position and change the blending mode to Screen to
leave only the smoke. Apply a mask to the layer and
manually brush out any unnecessary smoke to
achieve the desired look.
BELIEVABLY ALTER REALITY
USE FOCUSED EFFECTS TO ACHIEVE A DYNAMIC RESULT
001
Completing colour and tonal work with
the background first helps direct us
where to go with the vehicles.
002
Using various Selection tools for layer
masking, we are able to independently
work on elements of the image.
003
Well create various realistic-looking
lighting and motion effects to enhance
the overall dynamics of the image.
001 002 003
040-044_AVP_107.indd 43 28/02/2013 17:08
040 044
BOOST THE ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHTING
USE LARGE BRUSHSTROKES AND THE FREE TRANSFORM TOOL
14
BLEED THE LIGHT
Now that weve created the dusty smoke
trail coming from the vehicles, we can add some
more light play towards the front of the image to
bring balance. Revisiting the background folder,
create a new layer at the top of the Group layer stack
to ensure your light will only affect the background
elements. Using a large soft-edged brush, apply a
single white brushstroke. We can adjust the light
flare as needed with the Free Transform tool.
15
LIGHT THE VEHICLE EDGES
With the light flare added, we now have to
create the bleeding-light effect on both the vehicles
to tie things together. Well create two new layers for
painting in each car group, again ensuring we only
affect specific layers. Using a soft-edged white brush,
well apply along the edges of both vehicles to create
the effect. We can transform and warp the paint, then
tweak the opacity or change the blending mode to
either Overlay or Soft Light for increased contrast.
16
ADD LENS FLARES
Lens flaring will often occur when light
bleeds into a lens directly from a light source. With
the added light flare in the upper-right of the image,
we can easily use the Lens Flare filter to add this
effect. Making a Group at the top of everything, add a
new layer filled with 50% grey (Shift+F5) and change
the blending mode to Overlay. This gives us an
invisible layer that we can apply the Lens Filter to
without altering any pixels below.
18
SHARPEN THE RESULT
To finish we want to sharpen the flattened and cropped image before saving. In addition to the
Unsharp Mask filter, we can run a High Pass filter. Duplicate the final flattened layer and go to
Filter>Other>High Pass. The Radius used is relative to the file size, or simply the desired effect. Change this
layers blending mode to either Soft Light, Hard Light, or Vivid Light. All three slightly vary, so test them out to
see which suits best. We can also reduce the opacity of the layer to soften the image if necessary.
17
MAKE GLOBAL ADJUSTMENTS
Now weve come full circle and will once
again complete a round of global adjustments. As
were looking to finish the entire image, ensure these
are made on top of all the other layers and groups.
We can use Selective Color to complete the bulk of
the work. Add contrast in the sky by applying black to
the blues and cyans. Removing black from white is a
good method for pulling out textures, such as the
road surface or clouds.
QUICK TIP
When using layer masks, look at the surrounding
pixels to help decide which tools to use. The
precision of the Pen tool is great for clipping
things out such as a car, while a large soft-edged
brush or heavily feathered selection is perfect for
creating vignettes.
040-044_AVP_107.indd 44 28/02/2013 17:09
TUTORIALS INTERVIEWS EXPERT GUIDES BEGINNER ADVICE
CREATE THE ART OF THE FUTURE
ON SALE NOW:
> Photoreal 3D > Arch-vis > Visual efects > Animation > 3D printing
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3D Artist house ad.indd 1 13/02/2013 14:56
040 046
TECHNIQUES WORK WITH DISPLACEMENT
046-050_AVP_107.indd 46 01/03/2013 09:13
047
WORK WITH DISPLACEMENT TECHNIQUES
USE SIMPLE PHOTOSHOP LAYERING TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS COMBINING
LAYER MASKS AND SMART OBJECTS TO CREATE THIS BRILLIANT IMAGE
PHOTOMANIPULATION
WORK WITH
DISPLACEMENT
Y
oull find many different interpretations of
the displacement effect online when poring
over numerous digital art portfolios. Alberto
Seveso (http://burdu976.com) has really
championed this style and recently Adobe adopted
it to promote its software products.
Here reviews editor and Photoshop artist Adam
Smith puts his own slant on this creative effect,
taking inspiration from some of the contemporary
work being produced. He reveals techniques that will
give you a foundation to build exciting results.
Layer masks and Smart Objects are an essential
part of our creative arsenal. These tools offer
ADAM SMITH
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
OUR EXPERT
Adam loves to test his Photoshop
skills, so creating this surreal effect
while managing a mammoth layer
count was the perfect challenge.
@advancedpshop
SOURCE FILES
Tutorial resources provided on the
disc include bokeh and ink splat
brush sets, as well as examples of
model head shots.
Photoshop users the ability to cut and customise
layer shapes at any point during the workflow. Layer
Style options also play a huge part, enabling us to
produce effects that simulate depth of field.
Coloured shape layers are purposefully thrown
into the mix and will be applied with the Pen Shape
tool. Youll be placing these shapes to enhance the
3D effects while simultaneously improving the
realism of the final image. These layers will have a
huge aesthetic impact on the design, especially
when combined with a vibrant colour scheme.
Everything is capped off with some lavish lighting
effects to complete a truly exciting piece.
PREPARE THE MODEL
WORK WITH LAYER MASKS AND SMART OBJECTS
01
LIFT THE MODEL
Select the Pen Path tool and activate
Rubber Band from the tools options. Trace around
the model (Dreamstime image number 10869704)
and activate the Paths panel. Cmd/Ctrl-click the new
path layer to make an active selection. Reactivate the
model layer and apply a layer mask, setting Feather
to 2px in the Properties>Masks panel. Also set a
solid black layer behind the model.
02
EDIT THE LIGHTING
Duplicate the model copy layer and select
Image>Adjustments>Shadows/Highlights. Set
Shadows>Amount at 35%, Tonal Width at 50% and
Radius at 30px. Apply all Highlight values at 0 and
add a Curves layer with an upward curve, setting
Input at 105 and Output at 135. Click and invert the
layer mask, then paint highlights back into the centre
of the face using a 50% Opacity soft black brush.
03
MERGE THE LAYERS
Start by merging the model and lighting
layers into one whole layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/
Alt+Shift+E). Set this layers Opacity to 20% and
duplicate. Ensure you follow this and the next step
carefully as well as continuing to follow the exact
technique throughout the workflow. This may seem
a convoluted process but it will save you bags of time
when making edits later.
046-050_AVP_107.indd 47 01/03/2013 10:14
040 048
04
CUT OUT MORE ELEMENTS
Select the Pen Path tool once more and use this to draw out a section of the
models face, including lips, eyes and nose. Apply flowing edges, activate the Paths panel
and Cmd/Ctrl-click the new Path layer to make an active selection. Add a layer mask to the
model, merge the copy layer and set Opacity at 100%. We now have our first displaced
element. The low-opacity model merge layer lies beneath, acting as a reference for further
selections and displaced elements.
07
ADD COLOUR SHAPES
Well continue to push depth-of-field effects
by adding Pen Shape layers. Use the Pen Shape tool
to personalise a form that corresponds and
interweaves with displacement layer edges. Theres
a lot of trial and error with this technique, so
persevere, be patient and dont be afraid to delete
shapes and start again. Work with bright colours, as
these make placement much easier to comprehend.
You can also colour-tag the layers (Cmd/Ctrl-click
the layer) in relation to each shapes colour.
08
CREATE 3D SHAPES
Continue to apply these shapes, tweaking
the settings to achieve the looks you want. To make
the image look a lot more vibrant, weve created a
spectrum colour scheme, from red to yellow ochre
to green. Try adding shapes to the edges of the
displacement layers to replicate a drip effect, placing
these behind to create a warped 3D result.
Everything is geared towards improving this 3D
outcome. Dont forget to revisit the Layer Style>
Styles presets and add them to coloured shapes.
09
APPLY SMALLER SHAPES
With all the main shapes in place, well
continue to detail the elements. Scatter smaller
shapes in and among the larger examples as well as
away from the model while also applying coloured
lines. All of these small effects improve the sense of
direction and movement in the image. Even smaller
details require our attention and the application of
Styles presets. This process ensures lighting is
consistent throughout the image, keeping all the
vibrant elements and unified.
05
GRADIENT OVERLAY
Continue to duplicate the
model layer, make selections with
the Pen Path tool and apply layer
masks to create displacement
effects. Carefully layer these and
replicate a depth-of-field effect
through applied layer styles. Well
now add a black-to-transparent
Gradient Overlay set to either
Overlay or Linear Burn. Hit Apply
Angle, alter the opacity and
position to suit. To save time we
can select Layer Style>Styles and
save initial settings as a New
Style. This can instantly be applied
to a layer and adjusted any time.
06
EDIT LIGHTING
You can apply Drop
Shadow effects (from the Layer
Style options) to the displaced
layers in order to replicate a 3D
effect. Combining these styles
creates a believable depth of field,
but it can be enhanced using
Smart Objects. Double-click the
Smart Object layer, open the initial
layer state and then apply Levels
and Brightness/Contrast to affect
the lighting on the shapes. Swap
in and out of Smart Objects to
assess and tweak effects, as well
as edit shapes using the original
mask. These shapes can always
be customised.
046-050_AVP_107.indd 48 01/03/2013 09:23
WORK WITH DISPLACEMENT TECHNIQUES
MAKE SIMULTANEOUS TONAL CHANGES
If you are using CS6 you can save time by editing the
colour of multiple layers. Simply Cmd/Ctrl-click the
layers that need to be altered, activate the Shape tool
and set a new colour in the Fill option. Here weve
duplicated several shape layers, placed and selected
them and then changed all of them to purple.
049
PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL
TAKE THE IMAGE TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS
AMEND THE SHAPES
If you want to amend the shape of any of your
displacement layers, now is the time to do so, as
these Smart Objects will really come in handy.
Simply open one up then use the layer mask inside
to edit the shape. Edits will update live in the image
once you exit the Smart Object interface.
Get the mixed-media effect
Duplicate the model merge layer and place this at
the top of the stack. Opt/Alt-click the Add Layer
Mask icon in the Layers panel, import the PDaily ink
splats.abr brush set and choose a style. Set the
brush to white and apply ink splat effects.
046-050_AVP_107.indd 49 01/03/2013 09:23
040 050
ADD SPECIAL EFFECTS
CREATE NEW IMAGE LIGHTING AND ADD VIBRANCY
10
BRING IN LIGHTING EFFECTS
One way to achieve the lighting effects is to
duplicate an existing shape layer then apply Motion
Blur, setting a high Distance amount. You can add
either Linear Dodge (Add) or Screen modes to these
blurred layers. To boost the lighting on the chin well
create a solid black layer at the top of the stack and
apply a Movie Prime Lens Flare. Also add a Motion
Blur and set it to Screen blending mode. We can now
duplicate this layer and apply Hue/Saturation.
13
RETOUCH THE MODEL
Add a Selective Color adjustment layer, setting the colour
options to Neutrals at 20, -10, -100 and 10. Invert the mask and paint to
the eyes with a soft white brush. Add another Selective Color layer and
set the colour options to Red at -55, 0, 0 and 0 then Neutrals at -40, 15,
-40 and 5. Invert the mask and apply a soft white brush to the lips.
14
SHARPEN THINGS UP
All thats left to do is sharpen the edges in the image, but we dont want to
sharpen the textured surfaces too much. In this case, instead of using Sharpen filters,
apply a High Pass layer. Press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E to merge all layers into a new
layer then apply Filter>Other>High Pass. Set the Radius between 4 and 8 pixels, click OK
then add an Overlay blending mode. You can tweak the opacity to determine the strength.
11
WORK WITH CLOUDS
Add a new layer to the backdrop and apply a
purple-to-transparent gradient to it. Place this layer
in the top-right corner but towards the centre of the
workspace and set its Opacity at 50%. Create a new
solid black layer on top of this then set its
Foreground colour to orange and the Background to
magenta. Add Filter>Render>Clouds to this layer,
apply Gaussian Blur and set the blending mode to
Overlay at 40% Opacity.
12
USE A BOKEH EFFECT
Create a new layer on top of the clouds layer
then load and apply the supplied Bokeh brush.abr.
Activate Shape Dynamics, Scattering and Transfer in
the Brush Preset options then set Spacing up to
100% in the Brush Tip settings. Apply the brush
using yellow ochres and magentas and then set the
layers Opacity between 45% and 50%. Finally add
Gaussian Blur and Motion Blur to create some
authentic bokeh effects.
SAVE A SELECTION
Its really easy to transfer displacement selections between images by having two open
with the same pixel dimensions one you want to copy from and the other you want to
copy to. Make an active selection of a displacement layer shape in the first image then
choose Select>Save Selection. Inside the Save Selection dialog box set your second
(new) image as the destination from the Document options. Clicking OK will add an
Alpha channel to the second (new) image. Cmd/Ctrl-click the Alpha channel layer,
create a selection and add a layer mask to the new layer to re-create the same
displacement effect. Alternatively you can save a set of Alpha channels to a new
document, ready to be dragged, dropped and applied to any other image.
046-050_AVP_107.indd 50 01/03/2013 09:24
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051_AVP_107.indd 51 01/03/2013 10:20
040 040
TECHNIQUES HOW I MADE
052
DISCOVER HOW 3D ELEMENTS AND PHOTO TEXTURES WERE
BLENDED TOGETHER IN THIS DIGITAL ARTWORK
HOW I MADE
PILLARS OF LIFE
THEO AARTSMA
T
he root of this image is a set of simple 3D elements. Artist Theo Aartsma (http://
cargocollective.com/theoaartsma) explains: I created four blocks in 3ds Max,
rendered them out and started working on top of them inside Photoshop.
Aartsma began by texturing his elements, while matching the existing lighting
in his photos to that of his 3D objects. When [the lighting] didnt quite match, but I still
wanted to apply a photo, I used Photoshop options to even the lighting and manually
brushed in the highlights and shadows, he reveals.
Aartsma has developed his own specific techniques, used predominantly to enhance
existing image contours and edit colour. [I] followed the flow and contrast of the
photographic elements and used them to blend areas together, he says. For example,
I washed out the colours and contrasting lines in some parts of the image, then refined
the artwork and improved its aesthetics.
ADD A MASK
I added a layer mask, then removed the lock icon between the layer and the applied mask.
With the mask activated I moved and transformed the scale to position the texture accordingly.
APPLY A BASE TEXTURE
I imported a texture from my library into a new layer and then used the
Transform tool to make sure it was covering the places I wanted it to show.
ADJUST THE TONES
After importing a watercolour texture, I applied Select>Color Range and
used the Eyedropper tool to select a good texture, setting Fuzziness to 200.
I used Photoshop options to even the lighting and
manually brushed in the highlights and shadows
052-053_AVP_107.indd 52 28/02/2013 17:21
053
HOW I MADE TECHNIQUES
052-053_AVP_107.indd 53 28/02/2013 17:21
040 054
TECHNIQUES UNDERWATER EFFECTS
CREATE A BELIEVABLE SUBMERGED STREET USING MULTIPLE STOCK
IMAGES AND PHOTOMANIPULATION TECHNIQUES
PHOTOMANIPULATION
UNDERWATER EFFECTS
C
reating an authentic underwater scene is
all about effectively combining a large
number of elements. This is achieved by
carefully blending stock imagery together
using a variety of Photoshop tools and techniques. If
you are to succeed in replicating these effects, a firm
grasp of the Photoshop interface and a sound
knowledge of its basic features are necessary.
The Transform tool, layer masks and blending
options are also all essential to replicate the
following results. Here well show you how to tone
images separately to give them a cohesive look.
Youll learn how to manually draw shadows and
highlights in your photographic pieces, as well as
how to create an image with greater impact.
Blending modes will have a major impact on the
lighting effects applied and will alter the colours
drastically. Adjustments such as Color Balance and
High Pass filters will be used to boost the aesthetics.
This workshop is inspired by several popular
designs that showcase an above- and below-water
motif, which you can easily draw inspiration from
yourself with a quick search online. These types of
projects are a great way to fine-tune your Photoshop
compositing skills and are an ideal opportunity to
test your imagination.
DEVIN SCHOEFFLER
www.ds9creations.com
OUR EXPERT
Devin is an art director with more
than eight years of professional
experience and an extensive list of
clients from all around the world.
SOURCE FILES
Weve supplied you with lots of
water-related stock, which you can
use to create your own
interpretation of the effects
achieved in this tutorial.
01
HUNT FOR PHOTOS
Well begin by sourcing images we want to
use in the piece. Locating photos that will work
together is key, so make sure you pay attention to
the quality of the resolution, tone, light source and
perspective. Once the right stock files have been
found, begin by cutting them out with the Pen Path
tool and quickly adding them to your scene. Apply
Layer>Matting>Defringe to each object cutout and
use a Defringe amount of 1 pixel. This will get rid of
any white or oddly coloured edges.
02
COMPOSITE YOUR IMAGES
Start with the street photo and cut out the
individual elements. In this case weve removed the
buildings, bridge and street from the background,
then placed them in separate layer groups.
Sometimes it helps to employ a number of different
methods when separating stock images from their
backgrounds. For instance, on our bridge we can use
the Pen Path tool to cut it out and the Magic Wand
tool to remove the background from between the
individual struts of the structure.
03
FOCUS ON THE SKY
Now add in a dramatic sky image but make
sure its one that will give the final image a dramatic
look. To create a sunlight effect, apply a large soft
brush to lay down a spot of yellow (#ffeeaa5) to a
new layer then set this to Lighten blending mode.
Add in a slightly smaller white spot on top of this in a
similar new layer, then move these two layers and
position them above the bridge. Note that well want
to use this Sun effect as our light source as we
create our scene, so keep in mind this elements
position at all times as we shade our photos.
COMPOSITE A SCENE THEN
SHADE THE DETAIL
WORK IN
PROGRESS
Progress 1: Source your photos
Progress 2: Add highlights
Progress 3: Layer in details
054-059_AVP_107.indd 54 01/03/2013 13:31
055
UNDERWATER EFFECTS TECHNIQUES
054-059_AVP_107.indd 55 01/03/2013 13:32
040 056
04
ADJUST THE EARTH BELOW
Now add in the elements youll find beneath
the waves and carefully move, transform and skew
them to fit the angle of your scene. Try to think
objectively about how to place your objects and
where you want the viewer to look. We can place a
manhole cover at the centre of the underwater
section and position the wrecked cars around it in
such a way that will draw the viewers attention to
the fish swimming out of it.
07
BLEND IN SHADOWS
Just as in the previous step, we can now
make a new layer and set it to Soft Light. However,
this time well apply a soft black brush to accentuate
the shadows in the building and bridge. Reduce the
opacity of this shadow layer if necessary, but keep in
mind where the light source is and work from that.
Dont be afraid to lay down a lot of shadows initially,
as you can always decrease the layers opacity to
balance them later.
08
CONTINUE TO SHADE
Now well add shadow under the cars using
the Pen Shape tool, inserting a shape to mimic the
outline of the vehicles where hard shadows would
exist. Next go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and apply
a very slight blur to soften your shape edges. Slightly
adjust the opacity for each layer to create authentic
shadow effects and achieve a unified look. You can
draw out smaller shadows that sit beneath the car
wheels to give the scene more depth.
09
LAYER ON MORE DETAILS
Create a new layer, then apply shading and
highlights to each car following the techniques in
Steps 6 and 7. To speed up this process, duplicate
one of the cars, select Image>Adjustments>
Desaturate and set this desaturated layer to Soft
Light. The grey tones will help accentuate the
highlights and shadows of the original image further.
After youve completed this, repeat Steps 6 and 7 for
each individual car and integrate these.
05
REPLICATE A WATER LINE
Cut and place a water line image using
either the Pen Path or Magic Wand tool, then place it
into the scene to submerge the street. Make a
selection below the water line that will represent the
underwater section, then create a new layer and fill it
with a bright blue (#5ea4b5). Set this layer to Overlay,
insert a stock image that will represent the waters
surface and then use Edit>Transform>Distort to
match the perspective of your buildings.
06
USE TONING AND HIGHLIGHTS
Select your buildings and go to Image>
Adjustments> Brightness/Contrast. Lower the
Brightness setting slightly and then increase the
Contrast. To bring about a little extra magic, insert a
new layer on top of your buildings and set it to
Overlay. Apply a soft white brush and lay down
highlights over the structures. Use the existing
contrasts as a guide to lay down more highlights, but
reduce the opacity of this layer where needed.
054-059_AVP_107.indd 56 01/03/2013 13:32
057
10
REMOVE THE CAR WINDOWS
Removing the windows on the cars
presents a bit of a challenge. We need to show the
interior elements of the car, but not the reflections
currently in the photo, which can be hidden with
shadows. First remove the car windows while
keeping the interior elements intact. Once these are
gone, use Selection tools to grab the interior portions
of the car and apply Brightness>Contrast to darken
these elements. After this is done, use a black brush
to add shadow and obscure select parts from view.
11
UNIFY THE ELEMENTS
Now well continue adding sections to the
scene and carefully adjust the shadows and
highlights to suit. We can use the Sun effect created
in Step 3 as a guide to where our shadows and
highlights will come from. For every new stock
image added into the scene, we can also use
separate Levels adjustment layers one adding
highlights, another shadows. This will give us
complete control over every stock asset and we can
match them well to one another.
12
SOUND THE DEPTHS
The further away your scene disappears
into the distance underwater, the less you will see.
To achieve a depth effect in the water, add layers of
black between some of the elements that fade off
into the distance. Here weve added a layer of black
between the two main cars and the truck thats
slightly further down the road. Tweak the black
layers opacity to determine the depth of field and
strength of the effects. You can add similar black
layers in front and behind the bridge struts.
13
INSERT RAYS OF LIGHT
Add a new layer on top of your blue water
layer and set its blending mode to Color Dodge. Drag
out a perfect square with the Marquee tool, select
Filter>Render>Clouds then go to Filter>Blur>Radial
Blur. Set Blur to Zoom, Quality to Best and Amount
at around 70. Use an Eraser with a soft edge to fade
out any hard corners left by the blur effect. Position
this layer in the centre of the water where the Suns
light would shine through.
14
ADD BUBBLES AND DETAILS
Now find a stock image of some good bubbles and place them into your scene. Go to Image>
Adjustments>Desaturate then select Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast. The goal here is to increase
the brightness of the bubbles and darken the background. Once you achieve a good balance, set the layers
blending mode to Screen. This will ensure that only the white bubbles show. Once youve done this, use the
Lasso tool to remove some of the bubbles and reveal a few of the fish. This will give the illusion of fish
swimming in front of the bubbles.
QUICK TIP
If your cutout images have faintly white pixelated
lines or artefacts (purple halos) around them,
select Layer>Matting>Defringe. Set Width to 1 and
click OK to take pixels from the interior of your
photo and wrap them around the edges.
054-059_AVP_107.indd 57 01/03/2013 13:32
040 058
15
INSERT MORE ASSETS
Copy a portion of the bubble stock image
from the current asset, paste this into your scene and
position it so its emerging out of the divers mask.
Select Edit>Transform>Warp and distort this new
bubble layer towards the surface. Repeat this step
for where you can imagine pockets of air escaping,
but try not to overcrowd the scene too much.
Gradually add or remove the elements, taking time
to review the result each time to finish the step.
16
REPLICATE A REFLECTION
This step is similar to how we established
the water line in Step 5. First locate an image of
reflected water, position it in your scene and then use
Edit>Transform>Distort to match the perspective. Set
this layer to Overlay and adjust the opacity to
establish how strong you would like the reflection to
be. You may also wish to use a large soft Eraser to
remove the edges of the photo and integrate it with
other elements a lot better.
19
UNIFY AND MAKE FINAL ADJUSTMENTS
Here weve added a Color Balance
adjustment layer on top of the scene and carefully
increased the amount of red in the Midtones. This
should make the sky really stand out and even phase
out some of the colour tones between the above-
and below-water areas. This simple edit helps to
make the image feel more like one unified
composite, even though it is split between two
distinct motifs.
17
KEEP ADJUSTING THE DETAILS
Continue to refine the water level to build the
overall realism of the piece. Depending on how dirty
you want the water to appear, you can find a stock
image of some dust on a black background, apply it
and set the layers blending mode to Screen. This will
show through the important elements, much like the
bubbles in Step 14. This edit will also provide you
with some nice orbs and details that will help the
water look even more believable.
20
USE A HIGH PASS FILTER
To finish, copy and paste the entire scene
into a new layer on top of all the other layers. Next,
select Filter>Other>High Pass and set the Radius
between 2 and 3 pixels to really pick out the images
edges, but leave the surfaces untargeted. Follow this
by setting the new High Pass layers blending mode
to Overlay or Soft Light. This will help return
delineation and sharpness to some of the finer
aspects of the scene.
18
REFINE THE TONES
Once youre happy with the elements in the
scene, go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Photo
Filter and add it to the top of the stack. Set this to an
orange, with a Density value of 27 to help control the
tone of the water and make it look a little more
realistic. You should experiment with filters and see
what works best, but keep the corrections subtle at
this stage, as its very easy and tempting to add too
much, which will oversaturate the piece.
054-059_AVP_107.indd 58 01/03/2013 13:32
059
SHADE WITH BLENDING MODES
LEARN HOW TO EASILY ADD DRAMATIC SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS TO YOUR PHOTOS BY CREATING DYNAMIC LIGHTING
W
hen you really want to boost
highlights and shadows in your
photo composites and create
dynamic lighting, one layer effect just
wont do. To get the best results possible we should
take direct control of them by applying effects
manually and specifying the look.
There are several ways to achieve this quality,
such as using the Dodge and Burn tools, but adding
separate highlight and shadow layers using
Photoshop brushes is the most preferred method.
This enables us to quickly add in detail, while still
maintaining a great degree of control when shading.
This type of technique works best after youve
already applied an image adjustment, such as
Curves or Levels. Its also worth noting that its best
to start by applying subtle effects, layer highlights
and shadows where necessary. Be careful, as it can
be very easy to go overboard and blow the lighting.
01
TONE THE ORIGINAL IMAGE
Adjust the image to match the scene as
best you can. Select Image>Adjustments Levels and
pull in your black and white point sliders towards the
centre of the Histogram. Adjust the Midtones slider
accordingly to bring out the contrast in the image.
02
ADD A HIGHLIGHT LAYER
Create a new layer and name it Highlight.
Activate the Brush tool and set the Foreground to
white. Try to imagine where your light source would
fall on the image and dab white highlights on top of
the picture. Set the Highlight layers blending mode
to Overlay and decrease its opacity.
03
INSERT A SHADOW LAYER
Make a new layer and name it Shadow.
Pick up the Brush tool again, but this time set your
Foreground to black. You can apply dynamic
shadows to the image depending on the light source.
Set this layers blending mode to Soft Light and also
decrease the opacity to determine the strength.
START IMAGE
END IMAGE
ORIGINAL TUTORIAL FILES USED
For those interested in applying the exact stock images
Devin is using, head over to www.dreamstime.com.
Below are the image IDs for you to search for, along with
one from http://sxc.hu.
Dreamstime
//27149151
//2598956
//25226785
//13719887
//11688103
//2028404
//7402308
// 28630015
// 23625088
// 26123095
// 19046563
// 22806546
// 10795837
// 9217268
sxc.hu
//1341532
054-059_AVP_107.indd 59 01/03/2013 13:32
040 060
ANGI SULLINS AND SILAS TOBALL REVEAL HOW
THEY CREATE MAGIC FROM MIXED MEDIA
HOW I MADE
IMAGINARIUM
ANGI SULLINS AND SILAS TOBALL
A
rtists should be champions of creative
innovation, but Angi Sullins and Silas Toball
(www.duirwaigh.com) have dedicated
their lives to it. Our professional work is
our personal work, Toball explains. We live to
inspire and are inspired to live, fully.
Over the years the duo have been asked to share
how their art is created, which led them to write the
Digital Art Wonderland, an inspirational instruction
manual for using Photoshop as a mixed-media tool.
The cover image of the book, Imaginarium
(shown here), sums up their ethos perfectly. The
Imaginarium is where we live, in our heads, says
Toball. If our studio could match our internal
wonderland, this is what it would look like.
When asked what role Photoshop plays in the
creation of their images, Toball is keen to sing its
praises. Photoshop acts as the cauldron in which
photos, scans, textures, effects, bits and pieces are
being churned and distilled into materialised
expressions of imagination, he says. Its just the
most versatile image-editing tool and over the years
has become like a natural extension of my mouse/
graphics tablet. As is the case for most mixed-
media artists, Photoshops blending modes are a
favourite feature of Toballs.
The future holds very diverse projects for the duo.
Having just finished illustrating a 2014 calendar for
Amber Lotus, Toball is working on a classical
orchestral score while Sullins is writing her third
book. The couple also have a personal aim to help
raise money for Sullins sister, who had to have her
legs and fingers amputated. This is in the form of a
special website (www.robinsullins.com) as well as
eBay auctions of artwork donated by artists such as
John Howe and Brian Froud.
01
ASSEMBLE THE ELEMENTS
We begin by putting together existing elements from our library. The texture for the sky is used to
establish mood. The floor is also distorted with the Warp tool to add a topsy-turvy perspective.
02
GATHER THE LAYERS
Next we paste every element in separate
layers so they can be shifted or removed as the
project progresses. By using a silhouette of some
grass in the foreground, then overlaying it with the
same texture in the sky, we can achieve a strong
composition for future consideration.
03
DUPLICATE, DONT COPY
We frame the entrance with two tents but
want to avoid exact mirrored replicas at all costs. For
this we change details on either side, select different
curtains and add a little Buddha sculpture.
060-062_AVP_107.indd 60 28/02/2013 17:10
061
HOW I MADE TECHNIQUES
Silas Toball / Duirwaigh Studios
Photoshop acts as the cauldron
in which photos, scans, textures,
effects, bits and pieces are being
churned and distilled into materialised
expressions of imagination
060-062_AVP_107.indd 61 28/02/2013 17:10
040 062
04
BUILD UP MORE EFFECTS
Now well add elements that will extend the pavilion to the sides, making it look longer and more
elaborate. The stairs and fairground-like balustrade are perfect for this purpose.
05
HOLD IT TOGETHER
In a collage of this nature, we want to avoid
any element looking isolated. All the different
sections need to blend in a natural way. One easy
way to accomplish this is to add detail in places
where objects meet. For instance, well add little
flowers between the curtain and the stairs.
06
PLAY WITH PERSPECTIVE
Note how the clouds become smaller and
more detailed towards the horizon to create depth
and dimension. We add stars on the darkest part of
the sky, but so as not to compromise the extra depth
we achieved well use the Transform tool. This
makes the stars appear to fade into the background.
07
DECORATIVE TOUCHES
A large and completely black blob of swirls
is now applied against a transparent background.
This blob is made into a selection, inverted and then
a new layer filled with black is added. We now disable
the previous layer and choose the Difference
blending mode to unify it into the piece.
08
TIDY THE EDGES
As up to this point many of the elements
have been roughly applied, there are now many
edges that require cleaning up. Small drop shadows
need to be added and hues must be shifted in order
to blend all the elements into an organic whole. This
is a long but vital step in the process.
QUICK TIP
Lighting is almost always our last step. At this point, the light is distributed equally over
the entire image. To alter this we use an abstract image file that contains marbled grey
tones on a transparent background. We place this over the entire image and set it to
Overlay. When using this effect we can control its strength with the Opacity slider. It also
pays to experiment by rotating this layer then flipping or otherwise displacing it,
because it can drastically alter the shadows and lights of your image. Any parts of the
piece you prefer not to be affected can be controlled with a soft-edged Eraser.
060-062_AVP_107.indd 62 28/02/2013 17:10
LANDSCAPE TIPS SHOOTING ADVICE CAMERA REVIEWS PORTRAIT GUIDES
ON SALE NOW
> Shoot black & white > 50 creative projects > Interviews > Kit
Available
from all good
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WILDLIFE PHOTOS
Learn to inspire
www.dphotographer.com
facebook.com/DigitalPhotographerUK twitter.com/DPhotographer
Digital Photographer 132.indd 1 28/02/2013 09:56
040
TECHNIQUES CINEMA 4D AND PHOTOSHOP
064
INCORPORATE A 3D TEXT RENDER INTO PHOTOSHOP
TO PRODUCE A STRIKING POSTER
TYPOGRAPHY
CINEMA 4D AND
PHOTOSHOP
JAMES KNOWLES
www.grungetv.deviantart.com
OUR EXPERT
James is a self-taught digital artist/
illustrator and has been producing a
broad range of digital art for over
ten years. He is currently freelancing.
@GrungeTV
SOURCE FILES
The original 3D render is included on
the disc entitled LevelUp-Render.
png. This asset is provided for the
purposes of this tutorial and other
non-commercial projects only.
T
he image well be re-creating here, Level
Up, is my own experimental, semi-abstract,
interpretation of the common phrase used
for reaching the next stage of a videogame.
Well aim to create and then convert a standard 3D
render into a much more dynamic image. During the
process well be using Photoshops blending modes,
adjustment layers and then finish with over-painting.
Creating the 3D text is fairly straightforward. Dont
worry if you dont own 3D software yet, as there are
several free and open-source 3D packages (for
instance Blender, as well as trial versions of CINEMA
FROM BASIC 3D TO THE
FINISHED SCENE
WORK IN
PROGRESS
Progress 1: C4D main elements
Progress 2: Levels adjustment
Progress 3: Final touches
4D, 3ds Max and so on), which will help you get
started in 3D design. Well cover the basic stages of
creating the 3D text. However, the 3D asset is already
prepared so you can jump straight into the editing.
During the tutorial we will touch on the
Select>Modify function. This will aid in the removal of
unwanted artefacts when importing an image that
has an Alpha channel attached, resulting in a much
cleaner and smoother outline.
Well also look at ways of unifying the colour
between the render and the background to help give
a more natural appearance to the whole piece.
01
START WITH CINEMA 4D
Set up the CINEMA 4D document at 1,180 x
2,668px and 300dpi. Choose your document save
path and remember to include an Alpha channel. Set
Anti-Aliasing to Best, then set Min and Max Levels to
4x4. For the best results use Global Illumination and
Ambient Occlusion.
02
CREATE THE TEXT
Using the Text Spline tool, add the words
Level and Up as separate objects, then place both
of these into their own Extrude NURBS objects to
create the 3D text. Make sure you create both words
at 40cm in thickness and then carefully position
them in your scene.
03
ADD THE MATERIAL
Next, find a subtle texture to use as a
material to add to the 3D elements. Try to use a tile
texture, or alternatively create one in Photoshop.
Use a Bump map on the texture and set some
touches of specularity to the material. Also, ensure
the material is projected in Cubic form.
Well cover the basic stages
of creating the 3D text.
However, the 3D asset is already
prepared so you can jump
straight into the editing
064-067_AVP_107.indd 64 28/02/2013 17:11
CREATE DRAMATIC TYPOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES
065
064-067_AVP_107.indd 65 28/02/2013 17:11
040 066
TECHNIQUES CINEMA 4D AND PHOTOSHOP
04
INCLUDE MORE ELEMENTS
Begin building the blocks from a basic cube
then place them into a Cloner object. By applying a
Random Effector you can adjust the settings and
parameters to create an interesting abstract
sculpture. Make copies of the Cloner object and
adjust the settings in each to add variety. You can use
the same material as the text on these objects to
give the impression of unity. Next, position the blocks
so that some of the text is obscured but so it still
remains very legible.
05
SET UP THE LIGHTING
Add a plane, position it beneath the render
and apply a simple pale-orange Luminance material.
This will cast a secondary light from below. Next,
insert a standard sky to the scene (approximately 12
oclock Noon, Mid-May) and use Hard Shadows. This
will produce a graphic result in the shade to keep the
render looking fresh. You can use the Compositing
tab to prevent the sky from being seen by the
camera, as well be importing a dramatic sky photo
later on. Now were ready to render the scene.
06
IMPORT INTO PHOTOSHOP
Open the render in Photoshop as a layer,
then clear the background by selecting the Alpha
channel, inverting and trimming it (or use the PNG
file supplied). Next, import the cloud stock from:
http://tinyurl.com/APClouds and place it below the
render. Reduce the size of the sky and hold Shift to
constrain the dimensions. Use Color Balance to add
some red and yellow, set the layer to Hard Light and
create a Radial gradient layer below this using
soft-blue or green tones to adjust the colour scheme.
08
USE A LEVELS ADJUSTMENT
At this point its a good idea to check how
our levels are looking. Consulting the Histogram (on
the Menu bar, go to Window>Histogram) will indicate
how your lights and darks are spread throughout the
image. Too much bunching in the Histogram
suggests theres an imbalance in your scene. We
only need a slight adjustment layer here, so drag the
small point sliders at either end of the Levels
adjustment layer ever so slightly towards the centre.
You should now see a big improvement in the range
of light and shadow.
07
BOOST THE CONTRAST
Now lets add a little more contrast. Duplicate the 3D render layer (Cmd/Ctrl+J) and simply set the
blending mode to Hard Light at 35%. This will immediately give the tones some much needed definition. Next,
add a blank layer on top of this and name it Vignette. Select all (Cmd/Ctrl+A) and go to Edit>Stroke, setting
the Width to 150px, Color to black and Location to Inside. Now go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set Radius
to 250 pixels. To finish, set the layer to Soft Light blending mode at 55%.
QUICK TIP
When using the Levels adjustment layer, holding
Opt/Alt while dragging the adjustment point
sliders will replace your main image with a white
or black image. This will then display whether
highlight or shadow clipping is occurring. Its
useful to check if your changes are potentially
detrimental to your image.
064-067_AVP_107.indd 66 28/02/2013 17:11
067
CINEMA 4D AND PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES
09
achieve semi-realism
So far we have taken an average 3D render, placed it in an appropriate environment, then enhanced
its definition using adjustment layers and blending modes. For the final stages well attempt to inject some
realism into the image to give it yet more appeal.
10
apply chromatic aberration
Make another duplicate layer of the render
(Cmd/Ctrl+J), adjust its Curves slightly and boost the
contrast a little (Image>Adjustments>Curves). This
will flesh out the highlights and shadows a little
more. Now go to Filter>Distort>Lens Correction and
add a chromatic aberration effect. Under the
Chromatic Aberration tab, tweak the Fix Fringe
sliders slightly to separate the colours of the render.
If used sensibly (and subtly) this fix will give a
near-photographic quality to enhance the overall
believability of the image.
11
add painted clouds
Using a soft brush (100px) set to low
opacity, build up some foreground cloud on a new
layer to add more depth to the scene. Try not to use
pure white for the colour, but more of a light grey.
When youre happy with the clouds, reduce the layer
Opacity to about 22%, then duplicate the layer (Cmd/
Ctrl+J) and set it to Luminosity at 100%. At this point,
you can experiment with blending modes or Opacity
settings to achieve other interesting results.
12
let it snow
The image is looking a bit static, so to liven
it up we can paint some snowflakes. On a new layer,
using a small hard round brush set to about 80%
Opacity, we can paint some snowflakes of various
sizes. Try not to get carried away here, keep the
painting to a minimum and restrict it to the lower
portion of the canvas. Now go to Filter>Blur>Motion
Blur, set the Direction to about 30 degrees and the
Distance to 25-35 pixels.
13
make a final colour adjustment
Tweak the tones by adding a Color Balance
adjustment layer. Starting with Shadows, enter the
numeric values: -19, 0 and +2; for Midtones input:
+38, 0 and -15; then Highlights: 0, -27 and 0. The first
thing youll notice is the whole image has changed to
an ugly reddish hue, but changing the mode to Soft
Light and adjusting the Opacity to 40% will act as a
final contrast adjustment, with a subtle colour
enhancement thrown in.
THE NEXT LEVEL
USE DISTORTIVE LENS CORRECTION AND A SPOT OF PAINTING
001 002 003
001
By adjusting the settings and parameters
of the Random Effector you can achieve
a truly chaotic but effective result.
002
When selecting a stock image for the
background, make sure that the light
source complements the 3D render.
003
Boosting the contrast between the light
and shaded areas of the render will
enhance the overall definition.
The image is looking a bit static, so to liven it up we can paint
some snowflakes. On a new layer, using a small hard round
brush set to about 80% Opacity, we can paint some snowflakes
064-067_AVP_107.indd 67 28/02/2013 17:11
040 068
TECHNIQUES BLENDING MIXED MEDIA
USE PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES, DRAWN ELEMENTS AND OTHER
TOOLS TO BUILD AN INSPIRED EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION
GRAPHICS
BLENDING
MIXED MEDIA
O
ver the next few steps youll learn how to
use different techniques to build this
inspired digital collage. Well mainly be
using hand-made textures, the Lasso tool,
brushes, gradients and masks. Well start with a
model portrait, modify it and add different elements
such as hand-drawn make-up tools. Well also place
coloured brushstrokes on top of the model and then
remove aspects we dont need. Once the main
features have been created and set in place its only a
matter of finishing the illustration with type and
then distressing the image slightly.
The key here is to experiment and take a
hand-made approach to achieve a nice balance.
Photoshop enables us to build up colours and effects
that would be near impossible to create rapidly with
real-world media. Although the process seems
linear, the illustration can be made with a few
back-and-forth adjustments, as well as experiments,
to find the final composition, colours and shapes.
RAPHAL VICENZI
www.mydeadpony.com
OUR EXPERT
Raphal Vicenzi, aka mydeadpony,
is a Belgian illustrator whose
creations are often used for
magazine editorials. He is
represented by Colagene.
SOURCE FILES
On the disc you will find textures and
brushes used to create this image.
You will need your own model image.
FROM BASIC PORTRAIT TO
VIBRANT RESULT
WORK IN
PROGRESS
Progress 1: Build the base
Progress 2: Brush on elements
Progress 3: Add final effects
THE FOUNDATIONS
IMPORT A PORTRAIT IMAGE INTO YOUR CANVAS
01
START WITH A STOCK PHOTO
We start by creating a new canvas of 235 x
302mm at 300dpi and drag the model onto the
canvas. Next, detour the original image with the Pen
tool (P) and desaturate it (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U). You can
slightly boost up the blacks and whites with the
Curves panel.
02
TRANSFORM THE FEATURES
Duplicate the image twice, change the layer
mode to Multiply for the second copy, select the two
bottom layers and merge them. Add a layer mask
and fill the Foreground with black on the first layer to
hide the image. Use a soft brush set to white (Opacity
at around 40 %) to reveal the darker skin beneath.
03
ENHANCE COLOURS
Select the top portrait image and create a
new layer beneath it. Fill this with a gradient (G) and
set it to Soft Light. Add a new layer beneath this, fill it
with another gradient but reduce its Opacity to
around 85%. Now use the Eraser tool (E) to remove
any parts covering the face.
068-072_AVP_107.indd 68 01/03/2013 14:37
MIXED-MEDIA ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES
069
068-073_AVP_107.indd 69 28/02/2013 17:12
040 070
04
ADD IN NEW FEATURES
On a new canvas well create a circle with
the Ellipse tool (U+Shift-drag to constrain the circle)
without a Stroke. Pick a tone, Ctrl/right-click, select
Rasterize then place a texture on top of the circle and
create a clipping mask with the texture layer (Cmd/
Ctrl+Opt/Alt+G). Set this layer to Divide, bring down
the Opacity to around 50% and merge. Create a copy
of this and resize it accordingly. You can also add a
circle filled with a pattern in the same way.
05
IMPORT YOUR ELEMENTS
Now its time to bring the new elements
into the original illustration. Drag them with the
Selection tool (V) in the original document and place
them behind the portrait layers. Playing with the
effects is key to finding balance, so keep adding
more features to further refine the distribution and
dont hesitate to move them around if needed. Well
also add a new circle on another layer filled with an
off-white colour behind the portrait.
06
create make-up
On a layer above the portrait well use
brushes from the Brush Preset palette (B) made
from scanned textures. Apply around the eyes to
create some original make-up, then softly erase the
parts that arent needed with the Eraser tool at
around 40%. Also, paint the lips in red on a new layer
and set this to Linear Burn. Well also tone down the
left and right side of the lips by softly removing the
colour with the Eraser tool set at around 30%.
08
layer on more make-up
You can draw even more elements using
different brushes on a layer. Create various layers (in
this case we need to place them in different areas)
then add swirling black lines next to the eye with a
small brush. Next well draw two circles for the
cheeks and a brushstroke set to Darken placed next
to the head. Well also add a few painted strokes
(using varying opacity) to bring some blue make-up
around the eyes.
07
APPLY COLOURED SHAPES
On a new layer well roughly create different-sized blobs by hand using the Lasso tool. You can click
on the Add icon to avoid holding Shift while making a few of these. Well use the Gradient tool to fill these with
different gradients of our choice. Two more layers can be added in this way (dropping the previous selection
each time) with different-sized blobs. These can be placed and resized (Edit>Transform/Scale) accordingly
until were happy with the composition.
QUICK TIP
The various elements used for an illustration
dont need to be complicated in themselves, but
applying and finding the right place for them
within the illustration will help build something
more interesting for the final result. Experiment
with what works best for you.
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071
BLENDING MIXED MEDIA TECHNIQUES
10
BRING IN TEXTURE
Open the scanned watercolour texture then
drag and drop it on top of all the layers. Create a layer
mask for the texture by clicking the icon at the
bottom of the Layers palette and then set this texture
layer to Linear Burn. With a brush picked from the
Brush Preset palette we can mask selected areas
while varying the size and Opacity (between 80% and
30%). Well add splatters by selecting another brush
and applying blues and oranges.
11
INCLUDE MORE ASSETS
Well now add other scanned elements into
the illustration, such as a wing and plant shape.
Select the shape of the wing, create a gradient fill set
to Hard Light and then merge these layers. Next
select the shape of the plant, place it on top of a
black-and-white scanned texture, Ctrl/right-click the
layer mask and choose Apply Layer Mask.
12
PLACE THE MEDIA
Add the new elements then move them
around to find places theyll fit. By rotating, reducing
and using different blending modes such as Multiply,
Lighten and Luminosity, we can experiment and find
effective combinations. You can place these new
additions behind existing elements if needed. Always
remain flexible and try not to overwhelm the result.
13
INJECT SMALL DETAILS
Create a line with the Line tool, input a
Weight of 2 pixels, select a gradient and then
rasterise it. We can add a small circle using the
Ellipse tool and constrain it with Shift. Choose a red
Fill without adding a Stroke in the Ellipse tool palette,
then rasterise this layer. Create three circles using
the same method and fill them with a grey gradient.
09
USE BRUSHSTROKES
On a new layer well add a few coloured brushstrokes to bring more colours to the illustration. Pick
different brushes, vary their size via the Brush Preset palette and choose vivid tones from the Color palette. A
bit of trial and error is required, so its best to play around and see if something worth keeping appears.
BUILD LAYERS AND ELEMENTS
APPLY STROKES WITH YOUR BRUSHES AND TWEAK THE COMPOSITION
Apply around the eyes to
create some original make-
up, then softly erase the parts
that arent needed with the
Eraser tool at around 40%. Paint
the lips in red on a new layer and
set this to Linear Burn
001 002 003
001
We add in blobs of vivid colour with the
Lasso tool and then fill these selections
with a gradient.
002
Layer on strokes over the eyes to create
the make-up and then add a few more
hand-made doodles.
003
Paint random brushstrokes with brushes
of various sizes to find an interesting
look for the illustration.
068-072_AVP_107.indd 71 01/03/2013 14:37
040 072
FINALISE THE IMAGE
REFINE YOUR MEDIA AND COMPLETE THE STYLISED EFFECTS
14
REUSE AND RECYCLE
On the portrait layer, select the face of the
model with the Elliptical Marquee tool, create a copy
on a new layer then choose Edit>Transform/Scale to
reduce it to around 16%. We can then use an old
mirror illustration from a source book and place it on
the canvas. Well create some lines with a simple
black brush from the mirror to the face and then
merge these layers. Make a copy of these layers, flip
them horizontally and place them accordingly.
17
SLIGHTLY DISTRESS THE IMAGE
Use the Clone Stamp tool (S) with a large
brush to distress the image, then add a new layer
and select Current & Below under the Sample
dropdown menu. Next, Opt/Alt-click to copy sections
of the image and then position them where required
using the Selection tool (V). Place this layer
underneath the coloured brushstrokes and other
elements so we can still see them and read the
words more clearly.
18
FINALISE THE ILLUSTRATION
To finish, bring up the Curves panel in the
Properties palette and slightly boost the dark and
light areas. This may not be necessary if the
illustration is already quite vivid. Bring down the
Opacity to around 25% so it only slightly enhances
the image without overdoing it. We are now ready to
save the image at a high resolution. As weve kept
most of the layers intact we are able to rework the
illustration if needed.
15
APPLY MORE ASSETS
Now well open a separate document to
bring in new elements. These are drawn directly into
Photoshop with different brushes, while observing
reference material. We dont want these to look
realistic, so just loosely draw them to maintain a
hand-made look. The powder case object can be
colourised with pink and blue tones using a simple
brush. When youre done, import these objects back
into the original image and position them.
16
INCLUDE TYPOGRAPHY
Applying your own handwriting to add
typographic elements will continue the unique
hand-made aesthetic were developing. Using the
same colour as the background, on a new layer
placed on top of the coloured strokes, we can write
something that suits the piece, in this case Mixed
Media. Write the words on a new layer using a
simple brush, vary the size to achieve some
authentic inconsistencies and set the layer to Screen.
TEXTURES
Its more rewarding to create your own textures
from watercolours, acrylic paints or hand-drawn
doodles and then use them in your illustration
when brought in at a high resolution. A scanned
texture can be drastically changed with the help of
adjustment layers such as Hue/Saturation or
Brightness/Contrast to give them a sharper look
and feel. You can also add different textures on
top of one another then play with different layer
modes and opacities to add depth. Alternatively
you can easily turn these scanned textures into
Photoshop brushes to reuse in your projects.
068-072_AVP_107.indd 72 01/03/2013 14:37
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DIGITAL PAINTING
H
ere youll learn how to create a landscape
painting in Photoshop. With just a basic
knowledge of the program youll be able to
produce convincing artwork in no time.
Some of the advantages of using Photoshop include
being able to layer your work, create custom
brushes and apply image adjustments. In the
following steps you will learn some of the tools used
in digital painting and what Photoshop has to offer.
Before we jump into the process, well find some
inspiration. Look up Angel Falls online to kick-start
your research, as this is a fantastic example to use
as reference. Try not to rush this step, as this is
where you want to sit back, relax and be open to
what you see.
Throughout the tutorial well mostly be applying
default hard and soft round brushes with Pen
Pressure active. Play around with the settings of the
brush and familiarise yourself with its effects. A
quick tip is to squash the circle in the brush settings
to create an ellipse.
Another frequently used feature is the Hue/
Saturation adjustment. This is important for
constantly checking the values, by desaturating the
whole image and sliding the Saturation to -100. This
way the colours wont distract you.
074
PAINT A
LANDSCAPE
CREATE AN ILLUSION OF DETAIL AND
APPLY GROUP TONAL VALUES
074-079_AVP_107.indd 74 01/03/2013 10:28
PAINT A LANDSCAPE TECHNIQUES
075
TAKUMER HOMMA
www.takumer.com
OUR EXPERT
Takumer Homma is a freelance
concept artist and a digital illustrator
for videogames, who made a
transition from the automotive
industry in 2012. He dreams and
aims to work in films.
SOURCE FILES
The brush file you will need for this
tutorial is included on the website.
http://blog.advancedphotoshop.
co.uk/tutorial-files. This will speed
up the process and help you
understand how they are used.
074-079_AVP_107.indd 75 01/03/2013 10:28
076
TECHNIQUES PAINT A LANDSCAPE
01
BLOCK IN THE MAIN FEATURES
After completing a lot of research to better understand the
subject matter, grab a big brush and block in masses of greys with a
variety of tonal values, from light to dark. We can zoom out and mark
with big strokes to keep away from details and then focus on
composition and shapes. Its important to keep in mind that we need at
least three values: a light grey for the background, a medium grey for
the mid-ground and a dark grey for the foreground.
04
LAYER ON COLOURS
Its now time to splash some colours on the
canvas, so go crazy with the colour variations but be
mindful of the tonal values. If youre unsure which
colours to pick, this is where your research pays off,
so grab some of the reference images youve
gathered. Focus on the three major masses and pick
some interesting dull instead of bright colours. Mix
these as though youre mixing on the palette, then
use the Brush and Smudge tools to move the paint
until the tones interact with one another.
05
GROUP THE VALUES
Extract the three masses on the canvas,
one each on the left, middle and right. From the
Adjustment menu, open the Levels adjustment and
slide the Output Levels to group the values closer
together for each of the three main masses. You can
refer back to the initial values from Step 2 for this.
Maintain the light, middle and dark values and then
reapply with the brighter colours on the highlights.
Try to maintain the most contrast on the main focus
point, in this case just around the arch.
06
ADD A SILHOUETTE
Clarity is important, so constantly check the
Navigator window to ensure that the image is
readable. With a soft round brush we will be using
mist and atmospheric perspective as an excuse to
push and pull the masses while controlling the
edges. The Lasso tool is very useful in a situation like
this, where we are trying to retain the fine edges. Be
careful not to overdo this effect, as things can quickly
look artificial. The trick here is to keep a nice mix of
looseness and sharpness.
02
ESTABLISH A STORY
We need to quickly conceive a story that will evoke something more in the
artwork and garner some interest. Here weve added a cave that suggests erosion and
composited in a focal image to set the overall scene. This scene takes us on a journey to
discover what is left of the lost arch, the last remains of what used to stand. We now need
to add a secondary focus to suggest the finding of the remains.
03
DIRECT THE LIGHT
At this stage we should spend some time
further developing the image to provide better focus.
Well determine the direction of the light that will
complement the main focus point, the arch. There
are multiple ways to light a scene, but in this case we
need the light to enter from the top-left corner. This
will also guide the placement of the images focus
and detailed elements. Later on well also add a boat
to give a better sense of scale and a secondary focus
point in the image.
074-079_AVP_107.indd 76 01/03/2013 10:29
077
07
REFINE THE BACKGROUND
Now well pay some attention to the
background as well as the edges of the three main
masses. Try to avoid including too many details, as
we are only after subtle suggestions at this stage.
Keep the background loose and lightly apply a cool
tone to it with a Color Balance adjustment layer.
These cool colours will tend to recede, while warm
ones often do the opposite. Well want to achieve a
transition between the warmer and cooler tones.
08
MIMIC A WATER RIPPLE
We have provided a ripple custom brush for
use in this project, which was created using a few
different photographs. It can also be useful for adding
some noise to your image. Fill the water with dark
cyan and stamp the bright ripple brush a few times
with different values. Dont be afraid to paint over it,
in fact youll probably have to in order to achieve the
best result. You can also include some small rocks to
add some interest and refine the arch some more.
09
USE A HIGHLIGHT
Now well refine the highlights. Its key to
pay attention to these areas because our eyes are
naturally drawn to the bright sides of a canvas,
especially when the light is against the dark. Add
some colour variations and indications of yellow-
green tones to represent the leaves. We will be
adding colour temperature and a slight shift from
yellow to orange. If you have a tendency to draw
every detail, using a bigger brush will usually help.
10
LAYER ON SOME TEXTURE
From the custom brushes provided, well go ahead and stamp the rock and arch brushes with
different dark colours. At this point well be focusing on areas where we want some intricate details to draw in
the viewers eye. The foreground elements and the highlight areas deserve a few stamps, but dont be
concerned about making these accurate at this point. Use the brushes wisely, sparingly and always with a
considered outcome. These textures aim to add some overall noise and depth to the painting.
11
APPLY FURTHER DETAILS
Paint over most of the textures to clean
them up, but leave some as dark shades and try to
let some of the details bleed through. We can also
start cleaning up the water ripple and add some mist
to blend the values closer together. Well now very
subtly highlight the water ripple towards the
arrow-shaped cave. This helps direct the viewer
towards the arch and develops the overall
composition of the painting.
QUICK TIP
With a brush active, hold Opt/Alt+Shift and click to
bring up the Color Picker around the cursor. This
will save you that extra time going back and forth
to the tool menu.
074-079_AVP_107.indd 77 01/03/2013 10:29
078
TECHNIQUES PAINT A LANDSCAPE
12
FOCUS ON THE EDGES
Now we can apply further detail to the edges of the masses and scribble in some interesting
elements. Include some silhouettes of roots, grass and thin branches then let them poke out slightly. This
helps to create a sense of scale and detail, as they are shapes we are familiar with and can instantly relate to.
This is a great opportunity to bring a unique feel to your composition.
QUICK TIP
Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift to merge all the visible
layers on a separate new layer. To save time,
instead of selecting all the layers, you can simply
copy, paste and flatten them.
13
GET A SENSE OF SCALE
Well now add a boat to give the piece more
of a sense of scale and life. As mentioned in Step 3,
this is the secondary focus point, so give it a decent
amount of time and attention. Stay attuned to its
tonal value and dont worry too much about it looking
out of place for now, as we can fix this later. The
tonal value should be close to the value on the rock
beside it. You can desaturate the image to check the
values by using a Hue/Saturation adjustment.
14
BLEND IN THE BOAT
Once we have the overall shape of the boat,
we can add a few spots of highlight to bring in some
dimension. Not forgetting the reflection on the water,
copy and flip the boat vertically and cut into it with the
ripple effect. With the boat in place, we can now
concentrate on blending it into the environment.
Open the Levels adjustment and alter the values to
match the surroundings. Also select the soft round
brush and add some mist.
15
USE A FOCUS POINT
Zooming right in on the focus point, we can
start refining the arch and its surroundings. Paint
over some of the textures to further define the form
of the structure and rocks. Since this arch is a
man-made structure we will define it with simple
hard edges. The colours are looking a little dull, so
lets open the Color Balance adjustments and inject
some life, adding some cool tones to the shadows
and warm ones to the highlights.
074-079_AVP_107.indd 78 01/03/2013 10:29
079
16
APPLY HIGHLIGHTS
Now its time to look over the entire piece,
which by this stage should seem close to finished.
From here onwards well only be conducting very
small tweaks. By revisiting some of the highlighted
areas we can add colour vibrancy with some brighter
and saturated colours. Add in some of the grass with
a few thin strokes of highlights, but be careful not to
overdo this and avoid adding too much contrast.
17
TWEAK THE DEPTH AND BACKGROUND
Now some of the background elements
need attending to. We can subtly add some highlights
and atmospheric perspectives to break up the
masses. Remember to keep things loose, sketching
in horizontal and vertical lines to indicate some of the
open cracks. Try squinting your eyes to maintain
control of the overall values, as we want to avoid the
viewer being drawn to these areas.
18
SHARPEN THINGS UP
If youve accumulated multiple layers, you
can now flatten these. Go to Filter> Sharpen>
Unsharp Mask and adjust the settings to your liking.
In this case weve applied an Amount of 50% and a
Radius of 8 pixels. If an area is bothering you, simply
take care of it and keep zooming out to see the
bigger picture. This process will add more crispness
to the right areas of the painting.
19
ADJUST THE TONES
We may have lost some of the warmth in the image along the way, but now we
can bring it back. Bring up the Color Balance adjustment and add some warmth to the
Shadow and Midtones settings. You can also use the Curves adjustment to do the job. If
youre really desperate for more control, you can add a new layer on top, set it to Overlay or
Soft Light and paint in some more warm tones.
20
FINAL TWEAKS
Take your time and look over the entire piece again. Are you
happy with it? Check for anything that pops out. If there is anything
bothering you its not too late to fix. The main rocks deserve a little more
attention, just to enhance the details. Shift the values ever so slightly
when doing this, dont rush it and maintain a steady rhythm.
Take your time and look over the entire
piece again. Are you happy with it?
Check for anything that pops out
074-079_AVP_107.indd 79 01/03/2013 10:29
080
080-083_AVP_107.indd 80 28/02/2013 17:13
1,859 / $1,449
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081
A
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With regards to monitors, its vital that artists can
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082
A VERSATILE
SECONDARY MONITOR
DOUBLE UP AND STREAMLINE YOUR WORKFLOW
The gap between photography and filmmaking
is narrowing all the time due to the arrival of HD
filming on digital SLRs, comprehensive
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A versatile secondary monitor provides
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SPECTRAVIEW REFERENCE 271 REVIEWS
As a photographer and digital artist Im very
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images. The whole process from the shutter
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the feel of the final print is my responsibility. I
need the best feedback from my equipment and
a good feeling for how the final image will be
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One of the key things I obsess over but have
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what is going on in these shady parts is really
important and this is one of the things that the
Reference 271 does really well. It shows the
smallest change in tone, which helps to make
the final prints of all the more impressive.
GET A FEEL FOR LOW-
LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
ANDREW BROOKS EXPLAINS WHY A PROFESSIONAL
MONITOR IS ESSENTIAL FOR QUALITY RESULTS
(www.andrewbrooksphotography.com)
99 per cent Adobe RGB colour space you can see
truly representative colours.
We tested this monitor using a dual-screen
27-inch iMac, which unfortunately would not cater
for the SpectraView Reference 271s 2,560 x 1,440
screen resolution. However, we were able to see the
image unexpanded, which gave a good feeling for
the sharp detail at full resolution.
NEC offers two options with this monitor: the
standard SV271 (priced at 1,751) and the Reference
model that we tested. This came with the addition of
a six-month zero-pixel-defect warranty, a monitor
hood with a sensor cover (so you can fix your
Colorimeter to the screen without removing the
hood) and a certified high level of light uniformity
across the screen.
The monitor also features NECs P-IPS panel,
which is capable of 10-bit colour depth when used
with a high-end graphics cards on a PC or with
Apples Thunderbolt interface. This means if you
have the system in place the monitor can show a
palette of 1.07 billion colours.
The SpectraView Reference 271 is suited to
high-end photography and retouching, with key
features such as light uniformity across the screen
and very subtle calibration control. It works well in an
environment where clients demand accurate colour
across the whole creative process. You can spend
limitless time precisely setting up the screens
calibration in super-fine detail.
However, if time is tight, the feature can be used in
simpler ways, with enough control over the different
colour channels and brightness to set up a few
presets. These can roughly match the output of the
different printers you use, so you can anticipate the
output with a decent degree of accuracy.
Your monitor is the last step in the creative
process and enables you to clearly see what your
image is doing. This means investing in the right one
is as vital as having a super-quick computer or the
most up-to-date camera. With all the technical
specifications available, the SpectraView Reference
271 is a fine monitor for producing beautiful and
creative work across all digital formats and styles.
you can drop your colorimeter directly onto the screen using a handy sensor cover and keep the hood on as you calibrate
with the new displayport input you can make good use of the
monitors 10-bit colour depth
080-083_AVP_107.indd 83 28/02/2013 17:14
REVIEWS FILTERSTORM 4
F
ilterstorm 4 is a serious app for serious
photo editors that strips away the fat to
supply only the core toolsets for achieving
professional looks all for under 5! Until
now weve not seen many apps that include
advanced functionality at this price.
The apps swish carbon-coloured interface is
littered with options that will be familiar to
Photoshop users. Curves, Levels, White Balance,
Hue/Saturation, Blur and Sharpening adjustments
can be applied in real-time, through flexible sliders
and control points. Even better, theres little to no
lagging and the degree of control available is
comparable to desktop software.
FILTERSTORM 4
http://filterstorm.com/fs4
2.39 / $3.99 iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Optimised for iPhone5
WE EXPLORE THE IMPRESSIVE AND VERY FAMILIAR
FEATURES OF THIS PHOTOEDITING APP
VERDICT: 10/10
The price ultimately matches the
performance. You get bang for your buck
from Filterstorm 4s advanced toolset
and first-class functionality
084
UNPACKING THE FEATURES
PHOTOSHOP USERS WILL LOVE FILTERSTORM 4S FAMILIAR INTERFACE AND TOOLSET
Effects (filters) can be applied like adjustment
layers and then edited using blending modes and
allocated layer masks. You can also affect the latter
manually with a brush or by using gradients, just as
you would inside Photoshop.
Filterstorm 4 only supports a stack of five layers
but adding a sixth will prompt it to merge the bottom
two. However, you can make the most of your
layered effects by saving them as presets under
Automations for use in future projects
Despite the similarities, Filterstorm 4 shouldnt be
seen as a portable replacement for Photoshop, but
rather as a paired software, used to proof post-
production effects. You can then take your work into
Photoshop to apply further edits and work with
larger files.
A 10MB installation is comparatively economic on
memory, leaving plenty of space for library photos to
experiment with. The app can also share images via
email, FTP, SFTP, Flickr, Dropbox, Twitter and
Facebook, which further reinforces its use as a
proofing app ready to share concepts instantly.
HISTORY
This may seem an innocuous option to get excited about, but there are plenty of apps that short-change you in
the Undo department some no more than three steps back. Filterstorm 4 provides many Undo stages, so
you can continue to edit at your leisure.
HUD BRUSH
HUD brush functionality makes all the difference
when cloning and editing layer masks with manual
brushes in Filterstorm 4. These enable you to
visually confirm a brushs size, feathered edge and
opacity before applying that style to your mask.
CLONE TOOL
We were truly impressed with this tool. Its operation
is slightly different to Photoshops, but is just as
comprehensible. You can simply place your marker
to map what you want to clone, then press, hold and
move your finger over the image element you want
to remove.
084-085_AVP_107.indd 84 01/03/2013 09:57
CREATIVE
PHOTOGRAPHY IDEAS
http://books.fwmedia.co.uk
15 / $25 (via www.amazon.com)
WE FIND OUT IF THIS CREATIVE MANUAL DELIVERS
ADVICE THAT WILL GREATLY ENHANCE YOUR SKILLS
W
e believe the prerequisite for a
successful Photoshop guide is the
ability to deliver practical advice.
Techniques must be presented
clearly, as well as significantly enhance or perfect the
readers existing skills.
For the most part, Creative Photography Ideas
Using Adobe Photoshop fulfils these requirements.
This book hits the ground running, presenting
photo-editing enthusiasts with ways to create
precise contemporary styles such as HDR
photography, duel toning and solarisation.
These techniques are especially useful for those
looking to work with flat images.
The thumbnail images accompanying the tutorials
all feature the Photoshop interface, making the steps
far easier to follow. The images also come in full
colour, which is vital when addressing tonal and
lighting techniques, such as the Shadows/Highlights
command, to make local colour adjustments.
VERDICT: 7/10
We were disappointed the book went out
with a whimper, but it still provides the
means to learn expert techniques
085
CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY IDEAS USING ADOBE PHOTOSHOP REVIEWS
Sadly when we reached the token Special Effects
chapter we found this book undoes all its good work.
Derivative compositing techniques include adding a
rainbow or lightning, while the thumbnails are of a
far lower quality and seem like an after-thought.
This does slightly tarnish what is otherwise a
practical Photoshop manual, but the good outweighs
the bad. The majority of this resource supplies you
with necessary photo editing skills, manageable
through a format that is easy to interpret.

Get your copy of Creative Photography Ideas for
less, at 11.99. Just visit www.thehobbywarehouse.
co.uk/creative-photoshop-for-photographers and
quote promo code R3158 at the checkout.
USING ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
TOP 5
RETOUCH RESOURCES
BEAUTY RETOUCHING
TECHNIQUES IN
PHOTOSHOP
www.grygarness.com/dvds/
beauty-retouching-dvd.htm
99 (approx $154 US)
This DVD series could possibly be the ultimate tool
aimed at Photoshop retouchers. With well over 50
industry topics covered in a detailed, 13-hour,
one-to-one with expert Gry Garness, youll be free to
improve your retouch skills at your own pace.
DIGITALPHOTOSHOP
RETOUCHING.COM
http://digitalphotoshop
retouching.com/retouching-
tutorials
Free
Not only does this website supply you with some
secret tips and tricks, but it also provides the RAW
content to practise with in your spare time for your
personal projects.
PROFESSIONAL
PORTRAIT RETOUCHING
TECHNIQUES FOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS
USING PHOTOSHOP
http://kelbytraining.com
$50 (approx 32)
Photo-editing expert Scott Kelby reveals essential
tips and tricks through step-by-step methods for
fixing, enhancing and finishing your portraits. These
include ways to smooth realistically, remove
blemishes fast and much more.
PORTRAIT
PROFESSIONAL 11
www.portraitprofessional.com
40 (approx $62 US)
Portrait Professional 11 automatically
finds faces, maps and features that
you can edit using simple slider controls and mask
functionality. You can adjust eye detail, smooth skin,
change hair colour and even sculpt features.
ONONE PERFECT PHOTO
SUITE 7
www.ononesoftware.com/
products/suite7
$80 (approx 52)
Each of the seven pieces of software is geared
towards creating contemporary effects through
one-click options and sliders. These will undoubtedly
improve your retouch and photo-editing workflows. Author: Tony Worobiec
084-085_AVP_107.indd 85 01/03/2013 09:58
086-087_AVP_107.indd 86 28/02/2013 17:26
2
Filter titles by your
favourite store
3
Choose a digital
magazine or book
1
Visit the website
GreatDigitalMags.com
4
Purchase in-store,
download & enjoy!
086-087_AVP_107.indd 87 28/02/2013 17:26
DAN MAXWELL DISCUSSES HOW LIGHTING AND KNOWING
WHEN TO FINISH ARE KEY TO PRODUCING DIGITAL ART
READER INTERVIEW
FANTASY LIGHTING
EFFECTS
088
H
aving started out using Deluxe Paint on the
Amiga, Dan Maxwell, who is a front-end
web designer by day and freelance digital
artist in his spare time, explains the
importance of personal development during his
creative process.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO DIGITAL ART?
From as far back as I can remember I was always
painting, sketching and just generally doodling, so art
has always been my passion. My very first piece of
digital art took me about three weeks to finish. It was
a combination of having absolutely no idea how to
use the program and the fact that each brushstroke
took ten minutes to render on the screen. Since then
my appetite to experiment and learn new digital
techniques has continued to grow. Im actually a
front-end web designer by day and a freelance digital
artist in my spare time, but some of the stuff I see
other artists do online is amazing and never fails to
inspire me to keep developing.
DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR ART HAS A DEFINITIVE
AND RECOGNISABLE STYLE?
Im not sure I do, as I tend to chop and change from
one thing to another quite a bit. Somewhere between
coming up with the idea for an image in my head
and translating it across to the screen I end up with a
fantasy aesthetic, but thats not necessarily how I
intended it to look. It just happens. I would probably
READER INTERVIEW FANTASY LIGHTING EFFECTS
Time: Blurring a few parts of an image that are in the foreground can give a great sense of depth to your artwork Dan Maxwell
Alice Lands: Most of the elements on this image were created on
completely separate canvases and then put together using Warp and
Transform tools to get the final composition Dan Maxwell
Bunni Crusha: The characters were created in Illustrator then
imported into Photoshop. I concentrated on the colour scheme for
this image and it took several iterations to get right Dan Maxwell
DAN MAXWELL
http://be.net/danmax
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/
danmax
OUR READER
@maxi_dan
088-091_AVP_107.indd 88 28/02/2013 17:15
Yin & Yang: This originally started out as two separate pieces.
The hardest part was actually finding the right combination of
crows and doves to merge together Dan Maxwell
Wildflower: This was another of my earlier pieces. Its a combination of
vector images and photos. The leaves were all created from one shape that
I warped using the Transfer tool and then painted over Dan Maxwell
089
088-091_AVP_107.indd 89 28/02/2013 17:16
The green and red shapes were created
in Illustrator. The flowers were made
from the same shapes using the
Transform and Warp tools.
The lighting effects were completed by
painting with a soft-edged brush on a
separate layer set to Linear Dodge or
Linear Add blending mode.
Vines and bracelets were drawn with the
Pen tool and a hard-edged brushstroke
was applied to the path. A Bevel and
Emboss layer style was then added.
090
READER INTERVIEW FANTASY LIGHTING EFFECTS
Dragon Orchid Dan Maxwell
088-091_AVP_107.indd 90 28/02/2013 17:16
091
FANTASY LIGHTING EFFECTS READER INTERVIEW
say the most common theme across my images
comes down to my use of lighting and glow effects.
Im a total sucker for these.
WHICH ARTISTS HAVE INFLUENCED YOU?
I think Rodney Matthews style (www.
rodneymatthews.com) is so unique. The particular
shapes he uses to create his landscapes and
characters have a real other-worldly magic to them
and no one else quite captures that feeling in my
opinion. Its an atmosphere I like to think I re-create
in my images. Another favourite of mine is Radim
Malinics graphic style (www.brandnu.co.uk).
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS?
Unless I have a very clear idea of what it is that I
want to do, painting random shapes on a page and
hoping for a result is a commonly used method. It
doesnt always work and sometimes I just end up
with one big mess, but its always fun trying. If I
already have the idea, I start by creating everything in
greyscale. This helps me to concentrate on the
composition rather than jumping ahead and
becoming too focused on little details. I colour the
image, add highlights and shadows, then bring in a
few more lights and some glows. At this point I also
have to walk away [to get a fresh perspective].
WHICH PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS
DO YOU USE?
Well, I love glow effects, most of which are achieved
by simply painting areas and then applying a layer
style such as Color Dodge or Linear Light. It can be
quite easy to overdo these, so you have to be careful.
I always try to keep my lighting effects on separate
layers so they can be easily changed or removed.
The Tree House was one of my very first attempts
at adding more lighting to an image, as well as one
of my first Photoshop pieces. It was 98-per-cent
photomanipulation and there were very few
elements that hadnt come from some sort of
stock photography. The majority of the lighting
already existed on the main image and I just added
extra bits here and there. Admittedly these were
applied quite heavily and are visible where all the
highlight areas have been completely blown out.
The fairy snag was made using similar methods,
however, instead of relying purely on photographs,
I painted in most of the details and lighting myself.
These elements were painted 300-per-cent larger
than the rest of the canvas and then scaled down
to blend in. The background was created using a
mix of custom brushes and blurred to add depth.
TAKE A LOOK AT HOW MAXWELLS WORK HAS
DEVELOPED OVER TIME
THEN AND NOW
The Tree House: This didnt take long to create, maybe a few
hours. Though not very technical, it was the starting point of my
fascination with lighting and Photoshop Dan Maxwell The fairy snag: This image took me about two weeks in total to complete and is currently one of my personal favourites Dan Maxwell
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The other things I use a lot of are customised
brushes. I have hoarded hundreds of these over the
years and although I do have a standard set that I fall
back on, you can never have too many.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU HAVE HAD
TO LEARN CREATIVELY?
Apart from the initial sitting down and learning an
application (manuals are never my strong point), the
biggest struggle I have is knowing when to stop. On
more than one occasion I have overworked an
image, only to end up scrapping hours of additional
work for a much simpler, cleaner version. Its
sometimes too easy to lose sight of what Im trying
to create when I get really involved in an image.
Walking away for a while then coming back with a
fresh set of eyes always works. Also, I try not to be
too critical about my own work.
088-091_AVP_107.indd 91 28/02/2013 17:16
092
ON THE DISC WORK WITH WOODEN TEXTURES
THE SHOOT
THE BEST SETUP FOR CAPTURING SMOKE TEXTURES
01
PICK THE BACKDROP
Always shoot against a
completely white backdrop to
enable light to reflect back into the
container with your texture.
02
CAMERA SETTINGS
Use a macro or
close-focusing lens. Set your
f-stop at f32, ISO at 200 and shoot
at 1/160th of a second.
03
ADJUST THE FOCUS
The lens will try to
search for focus using the
cameras Auto functions, but you
can tweak this manually.
04
RUN A TEST
Check your light and
camera settings are optimal by
running an ambient test, injecting
water into water.
092-095_AVP_107.indd 92 28/02/2013 17:18
CREATE SMOKE EFFECTS ON THE DISC
LEARN HOW TO SHOOT YOUR OWN SMOKE TEXTURES
AND APPLY THEM AS CUSTOM BRUSHES
RESOURCE PROJECT
CREATE SMOKE
EFFECTS
E
ver wanted to make your own smoke stock,
but just dont have the space? Here well
explore how you can easily simulate smoke
textures, then apply the results digitally to
your images in Photoshop.
Once again well reveal the perfect studio setup
and essential camera settings for shooting the
093
textures. Well also explain how best to apply the
media during the shoot to ensure the best possible
results are achieved.
All youll need to complete this exercise is a
transparent container, a syringe, a vial of ink, full-fat
milk and joss sticks. Photographer and retoucher
Jim Lind (www.jimlind.com) will then explain how
to transform these materials into Photoshop brush
styles to be applied to any digital artwork. Hell show
how to comp in the smoke photos using little more
than Curves adjustments and blending modes.
Also, this issue were giving away 45 high-
resolution photos that can be used to produce
bespoke brushes or composited into images.
SIMULATE SMOKE PLUMES
THREE DIFFERENT WAYS TO ACHIEVE BESPOKE TEXTURE EFFECTS
WORK WITH MILK
Begin by filling up your transparent container with
water up to an inch away from the lip. Next, fill your
syringe with up to five millimeters of milk. Full-fat
milk is less dilute and will create a better outcome.
Tap the pump to apply three drops to the waters
surface. This will react with the waters horizon line,
creating the illusion of ground level when the image
is flipped. Now insert the syringe tip into the water,
inject a sharp burst of milk then shoot it.
SHOOT THE INK
As ink is more concentrated than milk, well only
need to apply around three millimetres into the
water. Lightly tap the pump to create a hanging
droplet, then touch the surface of the water with this
to create the illusion of ground level as before. Next
insert the syringe and smoothly inject into the water
while slowly pulling away. Afterwards, you can inject
three millimeters of milk to your water and ink
solution to vary the effects.
CAPTURE SMOKE
Shoot a joss stick with a black backdrop in an interior
setting to minimise reflection and avoid smoke
dissipation. A Speedlight is perfect for this shot, as it
has a tilting head and an in-built bounce board.
Adjust the camera to manage optimum low-light
conditions, setting the flash to ETTL, f-stop at f5.6,
1/200th of a second and ISO at 800. This will soften
the backdrop through depth of field, while the fast
shutter speed will minimise any blurring. Position
the Speedlight head to reflect off the wall, so the
ambient flash will illuminate more of the smoke.
Direct light cuts through the smoke and illuminates
the backdrop, making separation of the two harder.
R
E
S
O
U
R
C
E
F
IL
E
S
O
N
T
H
E
D
IS
C
092-095_AVP_107.indd 93 28/02/2013 17:18
040 094
ON THE DISC CREATE SMOKE EFFECTS
01
PREPARE YOUR IMAGE
Begin by importing your photo, set this to greyscale, then crop and isolate the
element you want to work with. Reorientate this into the correct position, using the
Edit>Transform and/or Image>Image Rotation options.
BUILD YOUR SMOKE BRUSH
BRING YOUR RESULTS INTO PHOTOSHOP AND TRANSFORM THEM INTO BRUSHES
02
BOOST CONTRAST
To split the element from the backdrop, boost the contrast
using Levels. You can also control contrast by using the Dodge tool set
to Highlights and the Burn tool set to Shadows.
03
CREATE YOUR BRUSH
Edit your element further by
applying Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur if it
looks too sharp. Finally, make a selection
of your layer, invert and choose
Edit>Define Brush Preset and name your
brush accordingly. This is now saved as a
brush style.
092-095_AVP_107.indd 94 28/02/2013 17:18
095
01
GRAB A STOCK IMAGE
Always begin with high-resolution photos
for realistic results. There are many quality
micro-stock websites that offer great images such
as www.istockphoto.com. If working with black
smoke, choose examples shot on a light backdrop,
or vice versa if youre looking to use white smoke.
02
APPLY BLENDING MODES
Edit both the Shadow and Highlight controls
in the Curves option to build contrast between the
smoke and the backdrop. Again, use dark smoke on
a white background or light on a black background.
Integrate black smoke using Multiply blending mode
and Screen blending mode for light smoke.
03
USE CUSTOM BRUSHES
Now you can improve and personalise
effects using a smoke brush. Adjust Shape
Dynamics, Scattering and Transfer settings to suit
your needs. By colour sampling areas near to where
youre be painting, you can realistically add and blend
smoke to create a realistic look.
WORK WITH PHOTOS
PHOTOGRAPHER AND RETOUCHER JIM LIND (WWW.JIMLIND.COM)
SHOWS YOU HOW TO COMPOSITE SMOKE STOCK
We really enjoyed experimenting with real-world media in our
shoot, so ended up with plenty of photos. Here weve selected
45 of the very best, which you can use in your own projects to
replicate realistic smoke effects. These include examples of
injecting milk and ink into water, mixing milk into ink as well
as joss stick smoke plumes. Enjoy! O
N

T
H
E

D
I
S
C
SMOKE STOCK
FIND HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS THAT YOU CAN USE TO CREATE BRUSHES
CREATE SMOKE EFFECTS ON THE DISC
092-095_AVP_107.indd 95 28/02/2013 17:18
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