Graphic Media Knowledge

How to Download Videos from Facebook using Google Chrome!

2014-07-18T21:29:00.002-07:00

Is there a video on Facebook that you want to save it on your computer so you can watch it over and over with to log in to your account but you don't have any idea how to download this video. This is a tutorial on how to download Facebook videos using Google chrome.

Wedding Text: Photoshop Tutorial

2014-04-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

This is PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL on TEXT EFFECT

Step One: Create a new document measuring 8x10" at
200 ppi, then open the middle east texture.jpg. This will
be used for the background. You can use any texture you
like, just make sure your text will be readable when it’s done.
Switch to the Move tool (V), hold the Shift key, and click-anddrag
this texture image into the main document that you just
created. The Shift key will center the texture.

Step Two: Press Command-R (PC: Ctrl-R) to make the rulers
visible in the document, then click on the vertical ruler and drag
out a guide to the 1.5" mark. If your rulers aren’t set to Inches,
Right-click on one of the rulers and select Inches. Place another
vertical guide 1.5" from the right edge, which will be at the 6.5"
mark. Now, click in the horizontal ruler at the top and drag
a guide down to about the 2" mark. This establishes the area
where the text will be placed in the composition.

Step Three: Press D to set your Foreground color to black,
and select the Type tool (T) in the Toolbox. Click on the upperleft
area where the guides intersect and drag out a text box to
where the guides intersect on the right, and then down toward
the bottom.

Step Four: Open the Character
panel (Window>Character),
and choose your font (we
chose the font Futura Book).
Make sure the text size is set
to around 35 pt to start and the
leading (space between lines)
is set to around 40 (the leading
f eld is to the right of the size
setting). Type in your quote.
As I mentioned, we’re using a famous quote from a classic movie:
The Princess Bride. You can see that the text looks pretty bland.
We need to do some formatting to spice it up.

Step Five: Select all the text by clicking inside the text box and
pressing Command-A (PC: Ctrl-A). In the Options Bar, click the
Center Text icon so each line of text is aligned to the center.

Step Six: Highlight just the f rst word, “Mawwiage.” Hold
down Shift-Option-Command (PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl), and then
press the > key repeatedly to increase the text size in 5 pt
increments. Once some of the letters jump to the next line,
release only the Option (PC: Alt) key, and press the < key to lower the size in single-point increments until the word returns to one line.

Step Seven: We need to determine which words will be in the next line. We want the words “BWINGS US” on their own line, so select the words “IS WHAT.” Then, do the same thing as before: Use the keyboard shortcut to increase the text until it jumps to the next line, then back it off until it returns to one line. The second line will overlap the top line when you enlarge the text; we need to adjust the leading. With the second line still selected, hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key, and press the Down Arrow key on the keyboard continuously until the spacing is right. This setting can also be adjusted in the Character panel.

Step Eight: Continue to do this to each line of text remaining in the quote. What you should have is the entire quote formatted in the def ned area with each line varying in size due to the different amounts of text.

Step Nine: Let’s embellish the design with some swirly graphics. Here, we have a stock collection of swirly graphic elements we found on Fotolia.com. These are great because you have a variety of elements while only having to pay for one image. First, we need to extract them from the background. Open the Channels panel (Window>Channels), hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl)
key, then click on the RGB composite channel. This will load the
luminosity, in this case the white area, as an active selection.

Step Ten: We actually need the
black areas selected, so go to
Select>Inverse. Click the Create a
New Layer icon at the bottom of
the Layers panel to create a new
blank layer. Click the Eye icon next
to the Background layer to hide
it. Press D to set the Foreground
color to black, and then press
Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace)
to put the black selection on a
transparent background.

Step Eleven: Even though we have all the elements extracted,
we only want to use part of the graphic that has the text in
it. You can always save this as a layered PSD f le and have the
graphics ready whenever you need them. First, use the Lasso
tool (L) to draw a selection around the graphic, and then using
the Move tool, hold the Shift key, and drag-and-drop it over in
the main working document

Step Twelve: Click the Eye icon next to the text layer in the Layers
panel to turn it off for the time being so you can see what
you’re doing. Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) for Free Transform,
hold Shift-Option (PC: Shift-Alt), and click-and-drag one of
the corner points of the bounding box to scale the graphic to
the canvas. Press Enter to commit the transformation. Get the
Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and draw a selection over the left
end of the graphic where it extends beyond the guide. Then,
hold down the Shift key and add another selection to the other
side where it extends beyond the right guide. Press Delete (PC:
Backspace) to remove those areas. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D)
to deselect.

Step Thirteen: Next, draw a selection over the rest of the
graphic except the swirly graphic and line at the top, then press
Delete (PC: Backspace) and deselect

Step Fourteen: Turn the text layer back on, and using the
Move tool, hold the Shift key and click-and-drag this graphic element
to the top of the text block. The Shift key will keep the layer
from shifting to the left or right. Make a duplicate of this layer
by pressing Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J). Go to Edit>Transform>Flip
Vertical, and then position this duplicated element at the bottom
of the text block.

Step Fifteen: Up to this point, the text and graphics have
been left black, but now we need to add a color. Click on the
Foreground color swatch near the bottom of the Toolbox to
open the Color Picker; set the RGB numbers to R:96, G:57, and
B:19; and click OK.

Step Sixteen: Make one of the graphic swirly layers active
and lock its transparency by clicking on the f rst icon to the
right of the word “Lock” near the top of the Layers panel.
Press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to f ll the object with
the new color. Do this to the other graphic swirly layer, as well
as the text layer (transparency will already be locked on the
text layer).

Step Seventeen: Make the top layer active in the Layers
panel, Shift-click the text layer to select all three layers, Rightclick
on one of the selected graphic layers, and choose Group
from Layers. When prompted, give the layer group a name,
and click OK.

Step Eighteen: Double-click to the right of the layer group’s
name to open the Blending Options in the Layer Style dialog. In
the General Blending section, set the Blend Mode drop-down
menu to Linear Burn. Then, go down to the Blend If section;
Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the white slider under Underlying
Layer; and drag to the left to split the slider, allowing lighter
areas of the background texture to show through. This gives
the text a more aged look, yet it remains fully editable.

Macro Photography: Reverse Ring Technique (Nikon)

2013-04-11T02:25:00.002-07:00

In this tutorial I am going to show how to convert your ordinary kit lens into a macro lens using the reverse lens ring. This is one of the simplest and inexpensive way to shoot macro photography.

All you need is A reverse lens ring which cost about 9-10 dollars and double sided tape. The reverse ring size for Nikon is 52mm which perfectly match to the filter thread for the lens

First,

I recommend that you attach the reverse ring first before you are going to attach it to the DSLR body. Make sure that it is tight but not too much.

Second,

Now that the reverse ring was attached, you need to to remove the lens and put it in reverse. Be careful in doing this.

Third,

You need to make sure the aperture lever on the lens are open, if you don't know where is the lever, please refer to the pictures below, the red circles is the lever. There are many ways to make sure that the aperture remains open, one way is to put something sticky on it, like the double sided take. For me this is the simplest way to do it.

Fourth,

You are almost ready, If you encounter an error saying "Lens not attached" all you need to do is to change the dial to Manual Mode and that's it. You are good to goo.

Whenever you use flash and an error appear saying something like TTL...blah blah, all you nee do is change the setting of the flash to Manual.

Hope this helps.

Vintage Sketch Effect

2012-08-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is one of those effects that once you figure out how to create it, you end up using it in many different ways because it's so easy to change the images and text. By using smart objects in a very intelligent way, you can achieve really cool, easily updatable designs.

Final Result

STEP ONE: Let's start with a stock image of a pair of wings that will be the base element of our design. Using the Magic Wand tool (nested under the Quick Selection tool [W] in the Toolbox), click on the white background to select it. You might need to hold down the Shift key and then click to add any areas that got missed (by raising the Tolerance setting in the Options Bar. as well). Once the selection is made, go to Select>lnverse to flip the selection around to the subject.

STEP TWO: Next, create a new document measuring 1O.5x7' at 100 ppi. Then, use the Move tool (V) to drag-and-drop the wing image into this new layout. Once there. Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to invoke Free Transform and scale the object disproportionately by squashing it horizontally. When done, press Enter. Press Shift-Command-U (PC: Shift-Ctrl-U) to remove the color in the image, then pres Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I) to invert the wings.

STEP THREE: Open the next image, which is a classic guitar. Some stock images like this come with a clipping path around the object, if not, don’t worry just use the same technique we just used to extract the wings. Again, press Shift-Command-U (PC: Shift-Ctrl-U) to remove the color and then drag it over to the working layout.

STEP FOUR: Once the guitar is in the layout, use Free Transform to scale (hold the Shift key to maintain proportions) and position it in the center of the graphic as you see here. Press Enter when done.

STEP FIVE: We have one more graphic element to add to the design. Open the swirly graphic image and use the Lasso tool (L) in the Toolbox to draw a loose selection around the smaller black swirly graphic at the bottom right. Then, switch to the Magic Wand tool and uncheck Contiguous in the Options Bar. Hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key and click on the white background inside the selected area. This will eliminate the remaining white background from the selection, leaving only the black graphic selected. Drag this to the working layout.

STEP SIX: Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) to invoke Free Transform once again, and click-and-drag outside of the bounding box to rotate the object. Click-and-drag inside the box to position it at the lower-left side of the graphic, as shown here, and scale its size down a little. When done, press Enter.

STEP SEVEN: Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to make a duplicate of the swirly layer, and go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Use the Move tool to drag this layer to the right until it mirrors the other side (hold the Shift key so it stays in line with the original swirly graphic). Once in place, press Command-E (PC: Ctrl-E) to merge the two swirly layers together.

STEP EIGHT: Make a duplicate of this layer and then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical. Move this element up until you have enough space between the swirly elements to place some text. Use Free Transform to make the top swirly graphic a little smaller than the one below. Switch to the Type tool (T) and press D to set your Foreground color to black. Type the words "CLASSIC ROCK" (we used Trajan Pro at around 68 pt) and position the type as you see here. Once everything is in place, drop the layer Opacity for both swirly layers to 50% and drag them in the Layers panel below the layer containing the guitar but above the layer containing the wings.

STEP NINE: Click on the top layer in the Layers panel, hold down the Shift key and click the Background layer at the bottom to select all the layers. Convert them into a smart object by Right-clicking on any layer and choosing Convert to Smart Object.

STEP TEN: Open a background texture file in which the finished design will be made. Drag the smart object layer to the texture layer. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to make sure it's dropped in the center. (The download texture file is the same size as the design file, so it should fit perfectly.)

STEP ELEVEN: Go to Filter>Stylize>Find Edges. This will change the design into a sketch outline. Filters applied to smart objects are considered smart liners, meaning they are nondestructive, allowing you to edit the original image within the smart object (more on that later).

STEP TWELVE: Go under the Filter menu again to Artist>Rough Pastels. Every image will need different settings but the ones shown here is a good place to start. Just tweak the sliders until you have a nice grungy sketch effect. Click OK when done.

STEP THIRTEEN: You can see the result is pretty interesting but why stop here? Change the layer blend mode in the Layers panel to Color Burn. Make a duplicate of this smart object layer, and set this layer‘s blend mode to Soft Light. Turn off the filters on this duplicate layer by clicking on the Eye icon next to the Smart filters mask just below.

STEP FOURTEEN: Click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon (halt-black, half-white circle) at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Invert. This will apply an inversion to the entire image, but what we want here is to isolate it to the layer below it by using a dipping group. Do this by pressing Option-Command-G (PC: Alt-Ctrl—G).

STEP FIFTEEN: Now tor one final optional element: The background texture looks good but I think a nice gradient layer style could really add something to it. Click on the texture layer in the Layers panel to make it active, click the Add a Layer Style icon (fx at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Gradient Overlay. (Note: If your texture is on the Background layer, double-click it to make it a regular layer.) Use the settings shown here to get a nice high contrast vignette on the background completing the overall look.

There you have it a seemingly complex look, yet it’s composed of smart objects, which contain all the original layers including the text layer. All we have to do is double-dick the smart object thumbnail in the Layers panel to open the original layered file. Once inside that smart object, you can change whatever you want, close and save the file, and it will update the image and re—render the filters automatically. It will even update all the duplicate smart objects as long as they're still linked to the original smart object.

Increasing Contrast in the Iris

2012-08-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

One of the secrets to really making eyes look captivating is to add contrast to the iris. It really brings out the color and depth of the eyes, without adding artificial color, and although it’s really easy to do, it delivers pretty amazing results.

Step One:

Here, our subject’s eyes look kind of flat, and almost hazy, because they’re really lacking contrast. So, to start off, we need to duplicate the Background layer by pressing Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J; or just drag the Background layer in the Layers panel onto the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the panel). Next, zoom in tight on the eyes. You’re going to be zooming in tight quite a bit when you’re retouching, so learning this quick way to zoom in can be a real timesaver: If you press-and-hold Command-Spacebar (PC: Ctrl-Spacebar), your cursor temporarily switches to the Zoom tool (the one that looks like a magnifying glass). Just click-and-drag this tool on the area you want to zoom in on (in this case, the eye on the right) and it zooms right into that spot. (Note: On a Mac, you’ll probably need to go to your Keyboard Shortcuts System Preferences and turn this system shortcut off first for it to work this way in Photoshop.)

Step Two:

Although there are a number of different ways to add contrast to a photo in Photoshop, this is probably the fastest and most efficient. At the top of the Layers panel, just change the blend mode of this duplicate layer from Normal to Soft Light (as shown here). This makes the entire image much more contrasty, but of course we don’t want all that—we just want her iris more contrasty. Don’t worry;we’re going to fix that in a moment.

Step Three:

Press-and-hold the Option (PC: Alt) key and click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel (it’s shown circled here in red). What this does is hides that really contrasty version of your image behind a black mask (so, it’s still there—you just can’t see it). The image now looks like it did when we first opened it (notice that her skin looks back to normal now?). Next, we’ll use the Brush tool to paint over the iris (and pupil) to reveal the supercontrasty version of it. So, start by getting the Brush tool from the Toolbox (you actually might as well get used to using the keyboard shortcut for the Brush tool— just press the B key).

Step Four:

Make sure that your Foreground color is set to white (since your layer mask is black, you’ll want to paint in the opposite color—white) and choose a small, softedged brush from the Brush Picker in the Options Bar. Begin painting over the iris and pupil, as shown here), and as you paint, the much more contrasty version of it is revealed, yet the rest of the photo remains untouched. If you make a mistake, just press the X key to switch your Foreground color to black, and paint over the area where you messed up to hide it again. When you’ve fixed your mistake, press X again to toggle the Foreground color back to white and continue painting over the iris (and pupil) to complete your contrast retouch.

TIP: Adding More Contrast

If, after painting in the iris, you think you need even more contrast, just duplicate the top layer. Since the eye is already masked, you’ll see just the iris and pupil become even more contrasty.

ANOTHER TIP: Using Curves

Instead of using a Soft Light layer to add more contrast to the iris, try an adjustment layer. Just click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Curves from pop-up menu. Then, from the Curves popup menu at the top of the Adjustments panel, choose Strong Contrast (RGB). Press Command-I (PC: Ctrl-I) to Invert the layer mask and hide the contrasty version of your image behind a black mask. With your Foreground color set to white, get the Brush tool, choose a medium, soft-edged brush at 100% Opacity, and paint over the eyes to add lots of contrast (as seen here). Tweaking the contrast like this can tend to actually change the color of the eyes, so since we just want more contrast, change the layer’s blend mode from Normal to Luminosity, so you get the contrast, but not the color shift.

Photoshop Grunge Text Effect

2012-04-22T00:46:00.000-07:00

STEP 1: To begin a text effect like this, of course, you need to start with some text. Create a new 12th document at 100 ppi. Press D tenet your Foreground color to black, and Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill the Background layer with black. Press X to snatch your Foreground color to white. Using the Type tool (T), set the letters "st-vi" at around 160 pt. We used a font called Terminator, which was a free font over at dafont.com. The letters, in case you were wondering, stand for Seal Team 6, since they're so popular these days. To make the letters lean slightly. insert your text cursor anywhere in the text, hold the Command (PC: Ctrl) key, and drag the top center control handle to the right.

STEP 2: Open the first texture file You may certainly download and use thus texture we have here, or use any texture of a really rough surface. (I took this near the beach when I was in the Bahamas last year.) Using the Move tool (V), drag this image into the text file we created in Step One.

STEP 3: If necessary, scale the texture to fit in the image area using Free Transform (Command-T [PC: Ctrl-T]). Then, press Option-Command-G (PC: Alt-Ctrl-G) to clip the texture inside the text. Floor the texture is only visible inside the text.

STEP 4: Open another, smoother texture file. This one from Fotolia.com has nice variation throughout but isn't nearly as roughen the first one Again, drag this texture to the text file and position it just above the first texture In the Layers panel. If it doesn't automatically become panel the clipping group, use the same keyboard command from Step Three remake it pan of the clipping group.

STEP 5: With the clipping groups set, you can move the textures around ii needed in the text area to get the look you want. Once the positioning is complete, select the Brush tool (B) from the Toolbox.

STEP 6: open the Brush panel (Window>Brush). Any rough-edged brush tip will do in this case, butt like the one called "Chalk 17 pixels." Once you locate that brush, in the Brush Tin Shape section, set the Size to around 30px and set he Spacing to around 10%.

STEP 7: Next, activate Shape Dynamics in the list on the left side of the Brush panel Set both the Size Jitter and Angle Jitter to 100%, and go to the bottom and check on Flip X Jitter and Flip Y Jitter This will add some more variation to the brush

STEP 8: Now activate Scattering. Check on Both Axes and set the Scatter amount to around 150%. You can see down in the preview area how the brush will behave when you paint with it.

STEP 9: Back in the page, Click on the topmost texture layer, the smoother of the two, in the Layers panel to makers active. Then, click the Add Layer Mark icon (Circle in a square) at the bottom of the Layers panel Press X until your Foreground color inset to black. Start to paint on the layer mask around the edge of the text. You can see the rougher texture showing through, giving the text some dimension.

STEP 10: Before Painting any further, let's enhance that effect with a quick layer style using the already masked area as a guide Click the Add a Layer Style icon (fx) at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Bevel and Emboss Use these settings shown here as a starting point, but if you're using different textures or different text then these settings will vary. Click OK when done.

STEP 11: Once the layer style is made, click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel to make sure it's still active and continue to paint around the edges of the text and other random areas. The layer mask will update as you Paint, adding more shadow and dimension to the texture.

STEP 12: Click on the text layer in the Layers panel and then choose Inner Shadow from the layer style menu. Click on the color swatch in the Structure section, change the color to a light blue or gold color, and click OK to close the Color Picker. Set the Angle to -90° so that the light appears to be corning from the bottom. This will be used to enhance the flare effect, which I’ll add later. Click OK to dose the Layer Style dialog.

STEP 13: Now open the last texture file. I shot this one in New York a while back. Lots of great textures there, Remove the color by pressing Shift-Command-U (PC, Shift-CtrI-U), then drag the texture over to the text layout and place it below the text layer, making it the back. ground element.

STEP 14: prop the layer Opacity to 50% and add a layer mask. Switch to the Gradient tool (G). With the foreground color set to black. Right-click in the document and select the Foreground to Transparent preset in the Gradient Poker. In the Options Bar, select the Radial Gradient icon. Click-and-drag to mask the texture in random areas. This will result in a more subtle effect.

Mosaic Layer Mask Effect - Photoshop Tutorial

2011-09-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Layer masks are one of the most critical features for compositing images in Photoshop. But don't forget that you can also apply things such as filters to a layer mask to achieve amazing effects without ever altering the original image. In this tutorial, we'll create a mask from an image and then apply one of the Pixilate filters. This is a simple photoshop tutorial but yet effective.

Final Result

STEP ONE: Open an image to which you would like to apply the effect. it would be a good idea to play with this effect on different types of images to see what works best. Here, we have an image
of a model from iStockphoto.com.

Step 1

STEP Two: Next, open the abstract image that will be used to create the mask. This image has some pretty cool angles in the graphic that will work with the angle of the subject from Step One.

Step 2 and 4

STEP THREE: Select the Move tool (V) and drag-and-drop the abstract shape ﬁle to the image containing the subject. it will appear on its own layer (Layer 1). The cool thing about an abstract image is that it can be rotated, distorted, or warped to cater to the subject. To be able to do that, however, we need to be able see the image below the abstract shape.

STEP FOUR: To help visually place the abstract shape, drop the Opacity of the layer to 50% in the Layers panel. This will allow us to see the background image below the abstract shape.

STEP FIVE: Press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-T) and then flip, distort, or rotate the shape to best fit the position of the subject. In this example, we're merely rotating the image so that the blue area is over the main subject. To rotate the layer, hover the cursor outside the bounding box until the cursor changes into a double-headed bent arrow, and then click-and-drag (hold the Shift key to drag in 15° increments). Click<-and-drag inside the bounding box to position the blue area. Press Return (PC: Enter) to commit the transformation.

Step 5

STEP SIX: Don't worry if the image background doesn't cover the entire image area. In this case, since the background is black it's easy to just ﬁll the empty area with black. Raise the Opacity of the blue shape layer back to 100%, and then Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) its layer thumbnail to select it. Go to Select>inverse to select the areas outside of the shape. Press D to set your Foreground color to black, and then press Option-Delete (PC: Alt-Backspace) to fill with black. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect. To soften the left edge of the blue shape, switch to the Gradient tool (G), Right-click in the document, select the Foreground to Transparent gradient in the Gradient Picker, select the Linear Gradient option in the Options Bar, and then click-and-drag from the left edge of the document about halfway into the blue shape.

Step 6

STEP SEVEN: Once the shape image is in place and the background area is ﬁlled, hide the layer of the model (Layer O) by clicking on the Eye icon next to it in the Layers panel. Then, go to the Channels panel (Window>Channels). We need to determine which color channel shows most of the abstract shape. In this case, it's the Blue channel. Hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and click on the Blue channel thumbnail to load the white and gray area of the channel as an active selection.

Step 7

STEP EIGHT: Back in the Layers panel, dick the Eye icon for the blue shape layer (Layer 1) to hide it. Turn the visibility back on for the layer containing the model (Layer 0), and then click on the layer to make it active. Click the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the bottom of the Layers panel, or go to layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. This will make the subject visible only through the abstract shape, which is now a layer mask.

Step 8

STEP NINE: Now click on the layer mask thumbnail to make it active, as indicated by the thin black
lines around the thumbnail. Then, go to Filter>Pixelate>Mosaic. Set the Cell Size to 45 square and click
OK. (Note: Vary the setting based on the image size and resolution.)

Step 9

STEP TEN: Now you can see the mosaic effect revealing the image. The varied transparency is based on the gray squares that were generated by the filter. You can modify this slightly by applying a Levels adjustment to the layer mask itself. Go to lmage>Adjustments>Levels. Drag the highlight (white) Input Levels slider to the left, and drag the shadow (black) Input Levels slider to the right just slightly. Click< OK. The change in contrast of the mosaic squares will change the transparent properties of the layer mask showing more or less of the image. Simply add some text or other graphic elements to complete the effect.

Displacement Map - Photoshop Tutorial

2011-09-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

In this Photoshop tutorial we'll explore how to apply a displacement map to a smart object, darken letters with the Bum tool and the Multiply blend mode, and create a relief effect with a Bevel and Emboss layer style. Follow along to learn how to make branded type in Photoshop.

STEP ONE: Here we have some black text set against a textured rock wall (the text color doesn't matter). For the sake of convenience, we entered the word "BRAND" on one layer and the registered trademark symbol on another—which is just fine. One of the great things about this technique is that you can apply it to multiple layers at once. Open (File>Open) the textured image and select the Type tool (T). Choose an applicable font and size in the Options Bar and enter some text. Press the Commit icon (checkmark) when finished. Make sure the text layer is active in the Layers panel (Command-click< [PC: Ctrl-click] each text layer in the Layers panel if there are more than one to select all) and select the Rectangular Marquee tool (M). Right-click in the document window and choose Convert to Smart Object. This makes the text compatible with nondestructive smart filters.

Step 1

STEP TWO: Now we're going to save the textured background as a displacement map, which is an image that distorts another image according to its luminance levels. In the Layers panel, select the Background layer (textured image), Right-click in the document window, and choose Duplicate Layer. In the resulting dialog, change the Document setting to New and give the image a memorable Name. Click OK to create the new image in a separate Photoshop document. In Photoshop, a displacement map has to be a flat PSD file, and unless you want different results for the horizontal and vertical distortions, it should be grayscale. Choose image>Mode>Grayscale. Click Discard in the corresponding dialog to convert the image to a single channel of luminance data. Save (File>Save As) the image as a PSD.

Step 2

STEP THREE: Switch back to the original document and select the text layer in the Layers panel. Choose Filter>Distort>Displace. Change both the Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale to 5 (for our purposes, the other settings don't matter) and click OK. Navigate to the file you saved in the previous step and click Open. Bright pixels in the displacement map shift the edges of the letters up and to the left, and dark pixels shift them down and to the right. The result is that Photoshop slightly but accurately warps the letters into the contours of the textured background. Press Command-+ (PC: Ctrl-i-) to zoom into the edges of the letters. If the edges appear a bit jagged (as they probably will), choose Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and enter 0.7 pixels for the Radius.

STEP FOUR: In my experience, the best way to bum the text into the bad<ground is with the Bum tool. Unfortunately, the Burn tool works with neither editable text nor smart objects. Instead, we'll need to convert the text into a selection. Hold down the Command (PC: Ctrl) key and click on the text layer Smart Object thumbnail in the Layers panel to load it as a selection. Click its Eye icon to hide its visibility and click the Background layer (textured image) to make it active. To jump the selection to a new layer, press Option-Command-J (PC: Alt-Ctrl-J), name the new layer "Burned Type," and click< OK.

STEP FIVE: Select to the Bum tool (nested with the Dodge tool [O]) and choose a large, blurry brush. Paint where the text once was to make it somewhat visible again. (77p: Paint over the text once or twice; anything more usually makes it too dark.) When finished, select Multiply in the top-left comer of the Layers panel to bum the text into the background.

Step 5

STEP SIX: Now we're going to add beveled edges, so the branded letters appear to be stamped into the surface of the image. Click the Add a Layer Style icon (fx) at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Bevel and Emboss. Choose Emboss for Style, Down for Direction, and 4px for Size. Choose Linear Dodge (Add) for Highlight Mode and increase its Opacity to 100%. Click the Shadow Mode color swatch, choose a dark brown color (R:42, G:22, B118), click OK, and increase its Opacity to 100%. Click< OK to achieve the final result.

Step 6

STEP SEVEN. The wonderful thing about this straightforward approach is how flexible it is. You can rerun these same steps with any badcground image to create as many variations as you like. In the case of the images shown here, we employed the same text but with different displacement maps and different effects. And because the base text is expressed as a smart object, you can switch out the behavior of the Displace smart filter in the Layers panel when the text layer is active and visible, double-click the word "Displace" to load a different displacement map—without having to start from scratch. If your letters appear too dark or light, you can also adjust the Burned Type layer using a Levels command (Image>Adjustments>Levels). You can adjust the Bevel and Emboss layer style effect to taste as well (double-click the words “Bevel and Emboss" in the Layers panel). One of the things I love about Photoshop is the way it lets you turn type and other synthetic objects into fully integrated components of your photographic composition. If you agree, keep an eye out for future installments of this column. We'll have more live-type techniques coming your way.

Less is More Photo Effect – Photoshop Tutorial

2011-09-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

In this Photoshop Tutorial you will learn how to create a photo effect for more visual impact, this technique used in different types of promotional materials.

STEP ONE: Open an image of a face. Choose Filter>Sharpen> Smart Sharpen. Enter 200% for Amount and click OK. Drag the Background layer onto the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to duplicate the layer (Background copy). Press Command-Shift-U (PC: Ctrl-Shift-U) to desaturate the layer (create a grayscale image). [NAPP members may download the image used in this tutorial at www.photoshopuser.com/members/aprmayl 1-downloads.htmI.

Step 1

STEP TWO: Press Command- L (PC: Ctrl-L) to bring up the Levels dialog. Click on the black Input Levels slider on the left and drag it toward the right, or enter 96 in the Shadow Input Level field. Click on the white slider on the right and move it toward the left, or enter 187 in the Highlight Input Level field. Finally, click on the gray slider in the center of the dialog and move it slightly toward the left, or enter
1.39 in the Midtone Input Level field. Click OK. Press D, then X to set the Foreground color to white. Choose the Brush tool (B) from the Toolbox. Using a soft-edged brush, paint away everything except the lips, eyes, right eyebrow, and nose.
(Note: We'll add back the left eyebrow in the next step.)

Step 2

STEP THREE: Choose the Lasso tool (L) from the Toolbox and make a loose selection around the right eyebrow. Bring up the Levels dialog, move the black Input Levels slider toward the right to 147, and click
OK. Press Command-Option-T (PC: Ctrl-Alt-T) to bring up the Free Transform bounding box. Right-click in the center of the bounding box and choose Flip Horizontal. Reposition the "flipped" eyebrow over the left eye and press Return (PC: Enter) to apply the transformation. Press Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to deselect.


Step 3

STEP FOUR: Press Command-U (PC: Ctrl-U) to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog. Check the Colorize checkbox, enter 21 for Hue, 18 for Saturation, and click OK to apply a slight brownish tint to the grayscale image.

Step 4

STEP FIVE: Using the selection tool of your choice (we used the Lasso tool), make a selection around the left iris and pupil. Bring up the Levels dialog, enter 60in the Shadow Input Level field, 241 in the Highlight Input Level field, and click OK. Make a selection of the right iris and pupil and bring up the Levels dialog. Enter 79 in the Shadow Input Level field, 236 in the Highlight Input Level field, and click OK.

Step5

STEP SIX: Hold down the Shift key, select the left eye (only the iris and pupil) so both eyes are selected, and press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to put the selection on its own layer (Layer 1). Bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog, enable the Colorize checkbox, enter 75 for Hue, 25 for Saturation, and click OK. Choose Filter>Sharpen>Smart Sharpen. Enter 75% for Amount and click OK.

Step 6

STEP SEVEN: Click on the Eye icon next to the Background copy layer in the Layers panel to hide it from view and reveal the Background layer underneath it. Click on the Background layer in the Layers panel to make it active and make a selection of the lips. Press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to place the selection on its own layer (Layer 2). Move Layer 2 to the top of the layer stack in the Layers panel and click where the
Eye icon of the Background copy layer used to be to make it visible again. Bring up the Levels dialog, enter 89 in the Shadow Input Level field, 212 in the Highlight Input Level field, and click OK.

Step7

STEP EIGHT: Duplicate Layer 2 by dragging it onto the Create a New Layer icon (Layer 2 copy). Choose Filter>Artistic>Dry Brush. Enter 10 for Brush Size, 0 for Brush Detail, 1 for Texture, and click OK. Change the layer blend mode to Overlay in the Layers panel.

Step8

STEP NINE: Hide the Background copy layer and make the Background layer active in the Layers panel. Make a selection of the teeth and press Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J) to place the selection on its own layer (Layer 3). Move Layer 3 to the top of the layer stack and make the Background copy layer visible again. Press Command-Shift-U (PC: Ctrl-Shift-U) to desaturate the layer. Bring up the Levels dialog, enter 32 in the Shadow Input Level field, 213 in the Highlight Input Level field, and click OK to complete the effect.

Step9

Photoshop Tutorial - Narnia Photo Poster Effect

2011-09-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

In this Photoshop Tutorial you may learn how to create the promotional poster for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Trader seems fairly innocuous. It’s a lion's head in a snowy scene but there's something about the warm color of the eyes surrounded by contradictory, blustery, blue tones that gives the image a very dramatic visual appeal.

STEP ONE: Open an image of an animal or person (a lion in our example). Press Command-L (PC: Ctrl-L) to bring up the Levels dialog. When the dialog appears, move the Shadow Input Levels slider (the black one on the left) toward the center to slightly darken the image. Click OK. Now, press Command-U (PC: Ctrl-U) to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog. Enter -3 for Hue, 31 for Saturation, and click OK.

STEP TWO: Choose the Dodge tool (O). In the Options Bar, set the Range to Midtones and the Exposure to 30%. Using a soft-edged brush, lighten some of the highlight areas in the image, especially around the eyes, nose, chin, and the outer portions of the mane. Now, choose the Burn tool (nested under the Dodge tool). With the Range set to Midtones, use a soft-edged brush to burn (or darken) the areas under the chin, around the lion's left cheek, and along the mane.

STEP THREE: Drag the Background layer onto the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to create a duplicate (Background copy). Bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog again. Check the Colorize box, enter 204 for Hue, 55 for Saturation, 10 for Lightness, and did< OK. Click the Add Layer Mask icon (the gray square with the white circle in it) at the bottom of the Layers panel. Choose the Brush tool (B), lower the Opacity to about 30% in the Options Bar, and presses D then X to set the Foreground color to black. Use a soft-edged brush to paint away the areas around the eyes, nose, and muzzle. Focus on the highlight areas of the image (the left side in our example). Note: Make sure you completely reveal the eyes and tip of the nose of the original layer beneath the masked layer (Background copy).

STEP FOUR: Click the Create a New Layer icon to create a new layer (Layer 1). Press D then X to set the Foreground color to white. Choose the Brush tool and select a small, soft-edged brush (we're using a 9-pixel brush). Go to the Brush panel (Window>Brush) and turn off Shape Dynamic on the left below the Brush lip Shape section. Next, click on the word Scattering below, check Both Axes, and enter 1000% for Scatter and 100% for Count Jitter. Now, click on the words Dual Brush and make sure Both Axes is checked, Scatter is 1000%, and Size is 30 px. Finally, click on the word Transfer and paint in some small, random snowflakes.

Note: if you're using a mouse, the Control setting in the Brush panel will default to Off. If you're using a tablet, as we are, the default is Pen Pressure.

STEP FIVE: Create another new layer (Layer 2). Increase your Brush size to about 25 pixels (press the Right Bracket key to increase the Brush size by 5 pixels at a time). Click on the words Wet Edges in the Brush panel, and paint in some larger snow-ﬂakes on Layer 2.

STEP SIX: You'll want to slightly blur the snowﬂakes you created on Layer 2, so choose Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, set the Radius to 2 pixels, and click OK.

STEP SEVEN: Create another layer (Layer 3) and paint in more snowflakes using the same Brush size and settings. Press Command-F (PC: Ctrl-F) to apply the previous filter (Gaussian Blur), then change the layer blend mode to Overlay.

Note: Repeat Steps Five through Seven as many times as you wish (we added five more layers), varying the size of the brush and the amounts of blur to create depth. Remember, keep some of the layers in focus and completely blur out some of the other snowflake layers to add more depth and realism.

STEP EIGHT: Click on the Background copy layer (the one with the blue tint we created in Step Three) in the Layers panel to make it the active layer. Click the Add a Layer Style icon (fx) at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Inner Glow from the list. Click on the yellow color swatch, choose white as the color, and dick OK. Choose Overlay for the Blend Mode and dick OK to apply the style and complete the effect.

Aged Illustrated Photo Effect - Photoshop tutorial

2011-09-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

In this in this tutorial you may learn a simple Photoshop Trick on how to convert you simple photo into an antique-drawing on a piece of aged parcment paper.

1. Go to File>Open and locate the texture file that your would like to use for the background. This can be almost any texture, so feel free to try different types of paper textures. In this case, we have a nice aged parchment texture, which we'll enhance by converting a photo into a drawing and making it look aged on the paper texture.

2. Open the photo that you want to convert into the illustrated effect. Here we have a simple stock image of a young model. The positioning and lighting of the subject in this image will lend itself well to this effect. The cool thing about this effect is that with just a little tweaking of the following settings, you can do this to almost any photo.

3. With the file open, switch to the move tool(V), hold down the Shift key, and drag-and-drop the model onto the paper texture background file(the Shift key will place it int the center). The model will appear on a new layer(Layer 1). If necessary, press Command-T (PC: Ctrl-t) to put the layer in Free Transform mode and scale it to best fit the composition. Hold the Shift key as you click-and-drag the control handles of the Free Transform bounding box to maintain proportion. Press Return (PC: Enter) when finished to commit the tranformation.

4. Go to Image>Adjustments>Desaturate, as we don't need the color information for this effect. Next, make a duplicate of this layer by pressing Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J). Then, turn off the visibility of this duplicate layer (Layer 1 copy) by clicking the Eye icon to the left of it in the Layers panel. Click on the original layer (Layer 1) to make it active.

5. To make the image look less like a photo and more like a shaded sketch, we need to lessen the amount of detail in the image by blurring it. To blur the image but keep the edge detail, we need to use the Surface Blur filter. Go to Filter>Blur>surface Blur. Set the radius to 5 pixels and the Threshold to 5 levels. These settings will vary on different images and may require some experimenting to get the look you want. Once don, click Ok. Go ahead and turn off the visibility of this layer (Layer 1) for the moment.

6. We're going to use one of the new blend mode trick comes into play. We're going to use one of the new blend modes that only available in Photoshop CS5. Click on the duplicate layer (Layer 1 copy) to make it active, and then click where its Eye icon used to be making it visible again. Make another duplicate from this layer (Layer 1 copy 2) by pressing Command-J (PC: Ctrl-J). Go to the layer blend mode drop-down menu at the top left of the Layer panel and select Dive blend mode. The image will appear to go completely white.

Note: If you don't have CS5, you can try an older method by going to Filter>Stylize>Find Edges. This will apply a sketch effect but you won't have the flexibility of modifying the effect as you do with the blend mode method

7. Go to the Filter menu again and choose Blur>Gaussian Blur. The amount of the Blur depends on the image that you're working with. As you move the radius slider to the right and increase the blur, you'll see the sketch effect start to emerge. Try pushing the radius to the max and then back it off until you get the look you want for the sketch effect. For this image, we set the Radius to 8 pixels. Click OK.

8: Merge this layer (Layer 1 copy 2) with the layer just below (Layer 1 copy) by pressing Command-E (PC: Ctrl-E). Change the layer blend mode of the resulting merged layer (Layer 1 copy) to Color Burn in the Layers panel. Create a duplicate of this layer and change the layer blend mode of the duplicate layer (Layer 1 copy 2) to Linear Bum. This will build the effect up by stacking and blending the layers with the paper texture we started with.

9: While these blend modes work really well for this image, it may be necessary to try other blend modes if the image isn't looking exactly the way you want. This can be done quickly by holding down the Shift key while pressing the + (plus) key repeatedly to cycle down through the blend mode list.

10: Reactivate the original image layer we applied the Surface Blur to in Step Five and make it visible. Change its mode to Color burn, as well. This will provide the shading to add more contrast to the overall sketch effect. If the result seems a bit too intense, however, you can lessen the effect through the use of a layer mask. Hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key while clicking the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the bottom of the layers panel. This will hide the layer by creating a layer mask filled with black.

11: Select the Brush tool (B), did: the brush thumbnail in the Options Bar, and select a soft-edged brush in the Brush Preset Picker. If you're using a pressure-sensitive tablet, you can go into the Brush panel (Windows>Brush) and activate the Transfer option in the list on the left. Then, set the Control drop-down menus for both Opacity litter and Flow Jitter to Pen Pressure. If you're not using a tablet, then you can simply drop the Opacity of the brush in the Options Bar to a much lower setting.

12: Finally, set the Foreground color to white by pressing the D key. Then, paint in the areas of the layer where you want to bring in shading and detail to the illustrated image. Make sure you're painting on the layer mask and not the layer itself (there should be thin black lines around the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel; if not, click on the layer mask thumbnail to make it active). If the effect is still too intense, you can always drop the Opacity of the layer itself in the Layers panel to lessen the effect.

Here you can see the final result. When combined with the image of the paper texture that we started with, the sketch we created from the photo now looks like an aged drawing. Here's another example of this same technique using a different image. Once you have the basic technique down, you can try it on other images with other textures, and as I mentioned earlier, with just a little tweaking of the settings you can achieve this effect with almost any photo.

HOW MANY MEGAPIXELS ARE ENOUGH?

2011-09-20T02:12:00.000-07:00

With the popularity of digicams, there’s still confusion about how much resolution is enough. Unlike Mies van der Roh’s comment about design, more is always better when it comes to resolution. I’ve seen stunning output from Nikon’s (www.nikonusa.com) D1x 5.47 megapixel camera when printed at 24 X 36 inches using an Epson Stylus Pro 10000 large format ink-jet printer, and fine detail was apparent even upon close examination. At some point, cameras might reach a point of diminishing returns; more megapixels may be provided, but nobody will be able to tell the difference when looking at output.

No matter what their maximum resolution may be, most digital cameras offer more than one resolution option allowing you several choices, depending on how the image will ultimately be used. Changes in resolution can be compared to image formats in traditional film cameras. An image printed at a large size that
would be unacceptable if made with a 35-mm film camera will look much better if it has been photographed on 4 X 5 or 8 X 10 sheet film. The highest-quality digital image settings are made using the camera’s maximum resolution and is your best choice if you want to make great looking 8 X 10 inches prints.
Good quality images are, more often than not, 640 X 480 pixel-sized photographs that are more than adequate for use on the World Wide Web, but may not make the best looking prints.

Just as important as image resolution is what file format is used to store the images. Most cameras store images in the compressed JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format, which applies compression to the file. Since JPEG is an inherently “lossy” format, some image data is invariably lost during the process, the best quality will be obtained by using the lowest compression ratios; or even better, no compression. Many digicams let you store images in a RAW format that delivers every pixel that was captured, undiluted by compression. Other cameras let you save images using the TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) that is immediately available for use by an image-editing program without requiring a special, camera-specific RAW interpreter plug-in for importing.

It’s always important to match the resolution of the camera to how the image will be reproduced. Image resolution can be less critical when printing with an ink-jet desktop printer, and almost any contemporary digital camera will produce acceptable snapshot-sized images. Depending on the compression, a 3.3-megapixel camera will produce adequate quality for an 8 X 10, and maybe even an 11 X 14 inch print depending on other components in its imaging path. They key to making your images look good is matching the image size to how large it will be used in your output.

Adding Depth to Your Photos Using Perspective

2011-09-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

Supplemental Elements: aperture, repeating objects, color, exposure compensation
Location of Picture: Quito, Ecuador
Camera Settings: f/10, 1/250 sec, ISO 200, 28mm

Quito, Ecuador

There’s nothing like a street that seems to glide into the frame. In this shot of a street in Quito,

Ecuador, there are several things you can look for to get this great perspective effect. In the picture, you’ve got the row of buildings going to a point seemingly to infinity, the median strip, and road guards running in the same direction, all to the same vanishing point. The sidewalk runs in the same direction

also, but it is stopped from continuing by a building behind the pedestrians. If the building weren’t there, the sidewalk, too, would go to the same vanishing point. Also note that the road guards get smaller as you move into the distance, as do the people. Finally, when I took the shot, I positioned my camera as close as I could to the line in the road (see the foreground of the image) and the guard posts to increase the drama of the perspective.

Adding to the perception of increased depth are the contrasting colors—the peach of the Colonial buildings and the deep blue of the sky, along with the neutral colors of the road and sidewalk. In the distance is what some people would call a payoff—a green hill that slopes down behind the building with a curve. Because it was such a sunny day, I shot with my exposure compensation down a few stops to enhance the color. You can also do this quite easily after the fact if you shoot in Raw format. I could have shot at normal exposure and lowered the exposure in Raw format during post-processing. (You can increase and decrease exposure by using sliders in the Raw Menu window of image processing programs.) This would have the same effect as lowering the exposure compensation out in the field.

Photoshop Path Tool

2011-06-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you are new to Adobe Photoshop, tracing images is very important. One of the powerful tool of tracing images is the path tool.

Paths are vector-based (line) drawings. This means that you can stretch and re-shape a path and it will not lose detail. Compare this with a standard raster image such as a photograph, which will become blocky when it's stretched, and will lose detail when it's reduced in size.

Paths are really useful. Once you've got the hang of using the Pen tool and the other path tools, you can create really complex freehand shapes such as symbols, drawings and icons. You can then turn these shapes into raster images at any resolution!

Paths are also great for selecting irregular objects. Because you can easily edit the shape of a path after it's created, you can fine-tune it to exactly match an irregular border. Much better than messing about with the lasso tools!

Photoshop comes with a range of cool shapes that you can create, using the Shape tool. These shapes are also paths. However, once you learn how to use the path tools, you'll be able to play with and modify these built-in shapes, as well as create your own shapes from scratch.

Editing Jewelry - Photoshop Tutorial

2011-06-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

HOW TO SHOT IN MACRO USING REVERSE LENS RING

Watch Video on how to Edit Jewelry in Photoshop:

Photo editing is an important step for properly sizing your jewelry images and giving them a professional-quality appearance. Here are some steps on Editing Jewelry with Photoshop Step 1. Open your image on Adobe Photoshop (CS1, CS3, CS4 or CS5)

Step 2:

Use the Path tool to trace your images. Using Path tool is the best way to trace your images. For more information about clipping or tracing images please click here.

Step 3: After tracing your images, time to change the colors of your jewelry. Using Hue and Saturation, you can manipulate the color of your steel jewelry. Press Ctrl+U.

Choose "Yellow" on the drop down.

Drag the Lightness to its maximum amount.

Again, Choose "Red" on the drop down menu.

The reason why we change the "lightness" of reds and yellows of our images is that those colors are not import on the the steel jewelry. As I observe blue color represent steel, but not so much blue, yes we can Desaturate the image but the color blue will also remove resulting to pale gray color. Step 4 Now lets change the levels of your image. In Jewelry editing, always remember the amount of Highlights, Midtones and Shadows are very important. Just play with it and if you already find the right amount then go ahead.

Step 5: Unsharp mask play a big role on jewelry editing, specially involving gems. Gems have facets and we need to show each details of it. Duplicate layer

Unsharpen the upper layer.

After that drag down the upper layer and erase gem part of the lower layer which is now the upper layer. And you done