PHOTOSHOP TUTORIALS FOR ALL

Hollywood Action Star Desires To Work With Salman

2015-05-22T22:44:00.002-07:00

After the relief in the form of bail granted by the Bombay High Court, Bollywood macho star Salman Khan is back to shooting for films in full vigor. The actor is currently shooting for Bajarangi Bhaijaan, which will hit the screens in mid July. Today, the star got a surprise offer from none other than the Hollywood action hero Sylvester Stallone.

Being a huge fan of Rambo series and Stallone himself, Salman Khan took to his twitter page and tweeted, Agar kisi ko follow karna hai? Bahar ka... inko follow karo @TheSlyStallone Aapke Hero ka hero Sylvester Stallone. The tweet attracted more than 2200 retweets and the love has been spread until Stallone himself.

The Hollywood star reciprocated with an even more friendly gesture and replied, 'Would like to thank the super talented Indian superstar SALMAN KHAN the Compliment he Tweeted! We should do an ACTION FILM together! Mabye the New EXPENDABLES' Well, it will indeed be an amazing experience if both the macho men join hands for a film. Earlier, Stallone appeared in Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor starrer Khambakht Ishq.

Design Coffee Cup Cream Using Photoshop

2011-05-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here Is the Final Image which is we are going to Design.

Here is new one tutorial how to create coffee cup cream using just a few Photoshop filters.In the beginning of tutorial we should find some appropriate picture with cup of coffee. You can find it on the Google Images of feel free to use mine picture. Open up the picture and start our tutorial. I would like to add some gradient to our dark liquid surface. Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create selection as shown on the picture below.

After that use Select > Modify > Feather to feather selection borders about 3 pixels to bring our future gradient more realistic view. Ok, now select some appropriate colors, for example colors of #000000, #573700 and drag a linear gradient.

Remove selection with Ctrl+D and change layer mode to Screen for this layer.

Ok, time to create coffee cream. Create new layer and add a few white spots with Brush Tool and a soft round brush.

After that apply Filter > Distort > Twirl with similar settings to these:

The result should be next:

Looks not bad for now, isn’t it? Ok, goon on. After that apply another one Filter > Distort > ZigZag and set up next parameters for it:

Your picture should look as mine:

Result:

Don’t be afraid that cream goes out of cup borders. We will correct it later. Now apply Filter > Distort > Wave one more time, but don’t forget to change settings as shown on my picture below.

The result should be next:

Ok, time to correct cream out of cup borders. Use Ctrl+T to reduce coffee cream size a little bit.

Then select the Eraser Tool and a soft round brush about 30 pixels and clear all the strokes out of liquid area.

And the last one thing that we have to do is to change a little bit cream color. Change layer mode to Overlay for current layer.

Now it looks not so bright isn’t it? Ok in this way duplicate current layer and set opacity up to 50% for new layer.

Ok, we are done for this tutorial. We got very nice realistic view coffee cream. Hope, u have the same good result!

Create A Detailed Solid Dark Layout

2011-05-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hello there everybody and welcome to another PSD web design tutorial here at 1stwebdesigner! In this tutorial you will learn how to create a Solid Dark Layout in Photoshop. A few techniques discussed in this tutorial include the use of proper spacing, typography, and colors. Let’s get started – I hope you will make out together with me until successful finish together !

Resources you will need to complete this tutorial:

Here is what we will making, click on image for full preview:

Step1: Working with Site Structure

Before we get started,download at first 960grid system for easy Guideline creation. Open 960_download\templates\photoshop\960_grid_12_col.psd . We also need to make sure that our Rulers and Guides are viewed, you can do that by pressing

CTRL + R (View Rulers)
CTRL + ; (View Guides)

Press CTRL + SHIFT + C to change the canvas size.

Using Paint Bucket Tool(G) fill the background layer to #242b30 Now you need to create a folders. Here is the folders that we will use in order to be organized. Implement this system in all of your designs – it will help a lot later when you will need to edit anything.

Now when you are done let’s get started.

Step2: Working with Header

Rename the layer1 folder to Header and rename layer 1 to header_bg (Make sure that you have finished creating the folders as I said earlier). Create a new guideline go to View > New Guide and set the position to 100px, orientation to horizontal.

Select Rectangular Marquee Tool(M), make a selection as shown in the screenshot below and fill it with #ffffff

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Gradient Overlay

Linear Gradient
Angle: 90
#171c20
#22292f

Stroke

#0d1012

Step3: Working with Logo

Create a folder inside header folder and name it to Logo, put all your logo related layers there. Now we are going to add the Site Title/Logo, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same way as in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Inner Shadow

Gradient Overlay

Linear Gradient
Angle: 90
#929292
#bcbdbd Location: 30%
#dfdfdf Location: 50%
#dfdfdf Location: 100%

Now that we have finished styling the text, let’s create a light to make it more emphasized. Create a new layer below the text, name it to light and make a selection as shown in the screenshot below.

Set the foreground color to #ffffff Select the Brush Tool(B), right click to the workspace to show brush options.

Brush as shown in the screenshot below to create nice radial effect to emphasize logo.

Set layer to Soft Light, Opacity to 80%:

Now when we are finished with our logo let’s proceed creating the navigation.

Step4: Working with Navigation

Create a folder inside header folder and name it to Navigation, put all your navigation related layers there. Now we are going to add the Navigation Links, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

I separated the home link because it serves as Active state. For the other links I color it with #b6aefd.

Add this Blending Option for the home text:

Drop Shadow

Color Overlay

#232a2f

Now lets create the Active state styling for the home. Create a new layer below the home text, select Rounded Rectangle Tool(U) and set the radius to 5px.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Inner Shadow

Gradient Overlay

Repeat the same step as we did to our logo.

Stroke

#13181b

Step5: Working with Slideshow

Create new guideline go to View > New Guide and set the position to 140px, orientation to horizontal. Repeat the process and set the position to 440px.

Now we are going to add the holder of our slideshow. Set the shape color to #171c20, now select the Rounded Rectangle Tool(U), set the radius to 5px draw a shape the same way as in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Now make a selection to the shape we have just create by pressing ctrl + click to the shape at the layers panel.

Go to Select > Modify > Contract, contract the layer by 5px. Now drag some guidelines to the edge of the selection left, right, top and bottom as shown in the screenshot.

Select Rounded Rectangle Tool(U), set the radius to 5px. For the color I chose #36414a. Color of this shape will not matter because it will serve as the holder of the slideshow images.

Add this Blending Option:

Inner Shadow

Inner Glow

#424f5a

Stroke

#111417

Create a folder inside slideshow folder and name it to divider. Make sure that this folder is on the top of the shape we have just created. To create a divider select Rectangular Marquee Tool(M), follow the color as shown in the screenshot.

We divided it into two parts, on the left part this will contain the description of the image in the slideshow, this will also contain previous and next button. The right part will contain the images. Lets start in the left part. Create another folder inside the slideshow folder and name it toleft.

Now select Rounded Rectangle Tool(U), set the radius to 5px, follow how I place the shape as shown in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Gradient Overlay

Stlye: Linear
#242b31
#36414a

Create a new layer and name it header. Select Rounded rectangle tool with the same radius, follow how I place the shape as shown in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Inner Glow

#424f5a

Gradient Overlay

Stlye: Linear
#21282d
#2f3840

Stroke

#111417

Now we are going to add the header text, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Duplicate the text layer. Now press down arrow key once.

Add this Blending Option:

Gradient Overlay

Stlye: Linear
#d4d4d4
#ffffff

Now we are going to add the description text, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Now lets create a read more button. Create another folder inside slideshow folder and name it to readmore. Select Rounded Rectangle Tool(U), radius to 5px. Place the shape as shown in the screenshot.

Now lets create a Previous and Next button. Create another folder inside slideshow folder and name it to prev_next. Select Rounded Rectangle Tool(U), radius to 5px. Place the shape as shown in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Inner Shadow

Inner Glow

Gradient Overlay

Linear Gradient
Angle: 90
#929292
#bcbdbd Location: 30%
#dfdfdf Location: 50%
#dfdfdf Location: 100%

Stroke

#161b1f

Now we will add the previous and next arrow. Select Custom Shape Tool(U), find the arrow as shown in the screenshot.

Place the arrow as shown in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Gradient Overlay

Linear Gradient
Angle: 90
#21282d
#2f3840 50% and 100%

Now grab some of your works to put up in our slideshow image. From the layers panel create a new layer above the image_holder layer and link it together. Follow how I link it in the screenshot.

For the final step in our slideshow lets create a shadow to make it look like 3d. To do this select Pen Tool(T), follow how I make the shape in the screenshot and fill it with #000000.

Select the layer and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, set the radius to 5.0px. At the layer panel set the layer opacity to 80%.

Step6: Working with What I Do

Select the What I Do folder. Now we are going to add the What I Do Header, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Gradient Overlay

Stlye: Linear
#d4d4d4
#ffffff

Ready the icons that you have downloaded. We will going to add 4 different folders in our What I Do folder. These are I Capture Smiles, I Design Websites, Awards I Receive and I love to Socialize, these will be on a separate folder.. Now follow how I place the text in the screenshot.

If you are done you may have something that looks like mine.

Step6: Working with Divider

Select the Divider folder, inside of it create a new folder name it lines. We are going to make 2 1px line to make a divider and some blending options to make it more interesting. To make the line we can do this by the use of Line Tool(U), For the 1st line color will be #111417 and 2nd line #364148.

Select Rectangle Tool(U), place it as shown in the screenshot and set the layer fill to 0%

Add this Blending Option:

Gradient Overlay

Duplicate the layer, were going to change the gradient overlay.

#242b30

Step7: Working with About Me

Select the About Me folder , now we are going to add the about me header and information, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot. I use the same formatting in text as we id in our What I Do section.

Step8: Working with My Portfolio

Select the My Portfolio folder, now we are going to add the about me header, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Select Rectangle Tool(U), and place the shape as shown in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Drop Shadow

Stroke

#161b1f

Now place your sample images at the top of this layer and link it together the same as we did in our slideshow.

Now we are going to add the my portfolio information, so select the Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Step9: Working with Footer

Select the My Portfolio folder, now we are going to add the footer background, so select Rectangle Tool(U) and set the color to #171c20, place the shape the same way as in the screenshot.

Add this Blending Option:

Outer Glow

#111417

Stroke

#364148

We are going to add copyright text in the left side and some links in the right side, so select Text Tool(T) and write text the same ways as in the screenshot.

Step9: Working with Background Light

Notice that our background is just flat. In this step we will going to add more brightness in the slide show area and in the middle area. Now Select Background folder, create a 2 layers inside and name it Slideshow_light and the other is whatido_light. Select slideshow_light layer, select Rectangular Marquee Tool and make a selection as shown in the screenshot.

To create the light select Brush Tool(B) size 700 hardness 0%. Brush at the center top of the selection and at the layers panel set the blend mode to Soft Light Opacity to 70%.

You should have lightning effect the same in the screen shot below.

Now select whatido_light layer. Select Rectangular Marquee Tool(M), make a selection the same on the screen shot below.

Now when you’re done set the layer blend mode to Soft Light and Opacity to 70% this will create a lightning effect that blends to our background shown in the screen shot below.

Finally were done! Hope you learn something on this tutorial and hope you like it. If your have any question or tutorial request drop some comments below. Thanks!

Final Preview

How to do Professional Facial Retouching in Photoshop

2011-05-01T04:45:00.000-07:00

Today i decided to create one new tutorial where you can learn how to do professional facial retouching that professionals use for photo processing in fashion magazines.

Step 1

Open photo and resize it by using Image > Image Size to 1500 px width and 1000px height.

Step 2

Let’s start by correcting color on photo. Copy layer by using Ctrl+J. Blur photo a bit using Fliter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with following parameters:

Step 3

Change layer blending mode to Color for this layer.

Step 4

Go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and on Advanced Blending remove check marks from R and G channels.

Now adjust color slightly to your taste on this layer using Image > Adjustments > Curves.

Step 5

Now we are going to remove skin defects. Create a new layer. Choose the Healing Brush Tool, then select Sampled in Source parameter and select All Layers for Sample parameter. Choose the part of the face, that we’ll be using as a sample.

Step 6

Using the Healing Brush Tool (choose soft edges of the brush) and holding the Alt button we choose the most clear skin area, then overlay the sample image on the problem skin area to remove the defect.

Step 7

Then go to forehead area and remove defects by using the same method.

Step 8

We also remove small wrinkles that possibly annoys the eye (still working with the Healing Brush Tool).

Step 9

In the end we should have the following result:

You can see on photo below where i applied Healing Brush Tool:

Step 10

Up to this moment we should have three layers – bottom layer (original photo), layer with color correction and the upper layer, on which we have carried out skin cleaning. Copy all the three layers twice by using Ctrl+J for each layer, then move the copies of the three layers grouping them like on image below. Finally merge both new layer groups together, using Ctrl+E and you will have five layers. Temporarily turn off visibility of the upper layer and work on the other layer (Layer 1 copy).

Step 11

We are going to work on creating the perfect skin texture. Choose the Polygonal Lasso Tool and select the face (it’s not necessary to select regularly).

Step 12

Invert the selection using Select > Inverse and delete everything that is situated in the selected area by pressing Delete button. On the layer you should only have the face now. Select eyebrow area using the Polygonal Lasso Tool and delete it using Delete button.

Step 13

Press Ctrl+D to deselect selected area. Remove the second eyebrow and start deleting eyes on the same way.

Step 14

Now do the same thing to the lips area.

If you turn off visibility on all other layers you can see we should have something like a mask on layer. Turn back on visibility on all layers except upper layer.

Step 15

Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to this layer with following settings:

Step 16

Change layer opacity to 65%.

Step 17

Turn on visibility of the upper layer.

Create Clipping Mask for this layer using Layer > Create Clipping Mask. Apply Filter > Other > High Pass with following settings:

Step 18

Change blending mode on this layer to Linear Light.

Step 19

Change layer opacity to 50% for this layer.

Step 20

You can stop here if you’re satisfied with the result. But there are too many red and yellow color tones on the portrait, sometimes it can be noticeable on the last steps, as in this case. It can be easily corrected, for this purpose merge all the layers into one using Ctrl+Shift+E and apply Image > Adjustments > Color Balance with the following parameters to newly created layer:

Final Image

Now this tutorial is complete. You can make extra color correction as well or convert photos to grayscale or sepia mode. Hope this tutorial was useful to you.

Photoshop Tutorial: Placing Multiple Images Inside Text Placing Multiple Images In Text In Photoshop

2011-05-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Open The Image You Want To Use As Your Background Image

The first thing we need to do is open our initial image, the one we'll be using as the background. Of course, you don't necessarily need to use an image. You could have a solid color background, a gradient, a pattern - whatever you like. I just happen to be using an image, and here's the one I'll be using:

Images In Text: The original image that will be used as the background.

Step 2: Select Photoshop's Type Tool

Select the Type Tool from the Tools palette, or simply press the letter T on your keyboard to select it:

Images In Text: Select the Type Tool.

Step 3: Select Your Font In The Options Bar

With the Type Tool selected, go up to the Options Bar at the top of the screen and choose your font. You'll want to use a font that will give you thick letters for this effect, otherwise it will be tough to see the images inside them. Don't worry about the font size for now, since we can easily resize it as needed later. I'm going to use a font called "Mathmos Original", a sci-fi font which I downloaded for free from 1001 Free Fonts:

Images In Text: Select your font from the Options Bar at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Set Your Text Color To Something You'll Be Able To See In Front Of Your Image

Before we begin typing, let's make sure our text color is something we'll be able to see. My image is mostly black, and by default, my text color is also set to black, which will make seeing it a bit difficult, so I'm going to change it to a different color. To do that, I'll click on the color swatch in the Options Bar:

Images In Text: Change the color of your text by clicking on the color swatch in the Options Bar (with the Type Tool selected).

Then I'll choose a different color from Photoshop's Color Picker. It doesn't matter which color you choose since you won't see it once we fill the text with images, so don't spend too much time on your decision. I'll choose a shade of red:

Images In Text: Choosing white from the Color Picker in Photoshop.

Click OK to accept the new color and exit out of the Color Picker. The color swatch in the Options Bar now changes to show the color you selected. In my case, it's showing red:

Images In Text: The color swatch in the Options Bar has changes to show the new text color.

Step 5: Type The First Letter Of Your Word

In order to add a different image inside each letter of a word, we'll need to work with each letter individually, so let's create our word one letter a time. This way, each letter will appear on its own layer in the Layers palette. Click approximately where you want your first letter to appear inside your document and type the letter. I'm going to be using the word "SPACE", and since the first letter of the word is "S", I'll type "S" (I know, it's all very complicated stuff):

Images In Text: Type the first letter of your word.

When you're done, click on the checkmark in the Options Bar to commit the text.

Images In Text: Commit the text by clicking on the checkmark in the Option Bar.

If we look at our Layers palette, we can see that we now have two layers - the Background layer on the bottom which contains whatever you happen to be using as your background, and the first letter of our word on its own layer above it:

Images In Text: The Layers palette in Photoshop showing the Background layer and the letter on its own layer above it.

Step 6: Resize And Reposition The Letter If Needed With Free Transform

If, like me, you need to resize the letter and move it into a better position, press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up Photoshop's Free Transform box and handles around the letter. Hold down your Shift key and drag any of the corner handles to resize it. Holding down Shift prevents you from accidentally distorting the look of the letter as you drag. You can also hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) to tell Photoshop to resize the letter from its center, which is often helpful.

To move the letter, click anywhere inside the Free Transform box and drag the letter where you need it. Just don't click on the small target symbol in the very center, otherwise you'll move the target symbol, not the letter. As you're resizing the letter, keep in mind how many other letters you'll need to add so you don't end up making the letter too big:

Images In Text: Resize and reposition the letter as needed using Photoshop's Free Transform command.

Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you're done to accept the transformation and exit out of the Free Transform command.

Step 7: Add A Stroke Around The Letter (Optional)

Depending on the images you'll be placing inside your letters, as well as the background you're using, it may be difficult to make out the shapes of the letters when you're done. To help keep things readable, I'm going to add a white stroke around my letters. I could wait until the end to add the stroke around all the letters, but since I already know what I want to do, I'm going to save myself some time by adding it to this first letter. That way, when I go to create the rest of my letters by making copies of this first one, the stroke will be copied along with it.

To add a stroke, click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:

Images In Text: Click on the Layer Styles icon.

Then select Stroke from the bottom of the list of Layer Styles that appears:

Images In Text: Select "Stroke" from the list of Layer Styles.

This brings up Photoshop's Layer Style dialog box set to the Stroke options in the middle column. The first thing I'm going to do is lower the Size of the stroke down to 2 px. If you're working in high resolution, you'll probably want to set your stroke size higher. I'm also going to change the Position of the stroke to Inside. Finally, by default, Photoshop sets the color of strokes to red, which makes no sense. I want my stroke color to be white, so I'll click on the color swatch to the right of the Color option, which again brings up Photoshop's Color Picker, and I'll change the stroke color to white:

Images In Text: The Stroke options in the Layer Style dialog box in Photoshop.

Click OK when you're done to apply the stroke to the letter and exit out of the dialog box. Here we can see my white stroke applied to the letter "S":

Images In Text: The letter is now surrounded by a thin white stroke.

Step 8: Copy The Type Layer

Before I place an image inside my letter, I'm going to finish adding the rest of my letters to create my complete word. To create my second letter, I'm simply going to press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate my Type layer. Nothing seems to have happened in my document window, but if I look at the Layers palette, I can see that I now have my original Type layer containing the letter "S", as well as a copy of it, also currently containing the letter "S", above it:

Images In Text: Press "Ctrl+J" (Win) / "Command+J" (Mac) to make a copy of the Type layer.

Step 9: Move The Second Letter Into Position

By making a copy of our initial letter, we've created our second letter. Of course, there's a couple of problems at the moment. For one thing, both letters are sitting directly on top of each other, and they're also set to the exact same letter. Let's take care of the first problem by moving the second letter into position. To do that, we'll need the Move Tool. Now, you could select the Move Tool from the Tools palette, but that's the "getting paid by the hour" way. Here's a handy trick. To temporarily switch to the Move Tool from any other tool (except the Hand Tool), just hold down your Ctrl (Win) / Command (Mac) key. This gives you quick access to the Move Tool without having to select it. Then, while still holding down "Alt/Option", hold down your Shift key to constrain your movements in a horizontal line and drag the second letter to the right until it's in position:

Images In Text: Use the Move Tool to drag the second letter into position.

Step 10: Change The Letter

Now we need to change the letter itself. To do that, double-click directly on the Type layer's thumbnail in the Layers palette:

Images In Text: Double-click on the thumbnail of the Type layer.

This will highlight the letter in the document window:

Images In Text: The letter is now highlighted.

Change the letter to the second letter of your word. Since my word is "SPACE", I'll enter "P" on my keyboard:

Images In Text: Change the letter to the second letter of your word.

When you're done, click once again on the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept the change and exit out of text editing mode:

Images In Text: Click on the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept the change.

Step 11: Add The Remaining Letters

Repeat steps 8-10 to add the rest of your letters and complete the word. Use the Move Tool to make any adjustments to the spacing between the letters until you have everything looking the way you want it. Here's my completed word:

Images In Text: Repeat the previous three steps to complete your word.

Notice that the white stroke I added to my initial letter has been automatically added to every letter in the word, since each letter is essentially a copy of the first one. And if I look in my Layers palette now, I can see that each letter in the word is on its own separate layer, which is going to make it very easy to place an image inside each one individually:

Images In Text: The Layers palette in Photoshop showing each letter on its own layer.

We'll begin placing images inside our letters next!

Step 12: Select The First Letter In The Layers Palette

Now that we have our word with each letter on its own separate layer, we can begin placing images inside the letters. We'll start with the first letter, which in my case is "S". Click on the letter's layer in the Layers palette to select it. You'll know it's selected because it will be highlighted in blue:

Images In Text: Select the first letter's layer in the Layers palette.

Step 13: Open The Image You Want To Place Inside The Letter

With the layer selected, open the image you want to place inside the first letter. If, when you open the image, it appears in one of Photoshop's full screen modes, press the letter F on your keyboard until the image appears in a document window. Here's the image I'll be using:

Images In Text: Open the image you want to place inside your first letter.

Step 14: Drag The Image Into The Main Document

With the image open in its own document window, simply click anywhere inside the image and drag it into the main document:

Images In Text: Click inside the image and drag it into the main document.

If we look in the Layers palette now, we can see that Photoshop has placed the image on its own layer directly above the first letter of the word:

Images In Text: The Layers palette showing the image now appearing on "Layer 1" directly above the first letter in the word.

And if we look in our main document, we can see the image blocking the first letter, as well as much of the background, from view:

Images In Text: The main document showing the second image now blocking the first letter and some of the background image from view.

Step 15: Create A Clipping Mask

To place the image directly inside the letter, or at least make it appear as if that's what we've done, we're going to use a clipping mask. The letter is going to become a mask for the image above it, which means that the only part of the image that will remain visible is the area directly over top of the letter. The rest of the image will be hidden, creating the illusion that the image is actually inside the letter!

To create the clipping mask, make sure that you have the image's layer ("Layer 1") selected in the Layers palette, then go up to the Layer menu at the top of the screen

Images In Text: Choose "Create Clipping Mask" from the "Layer" menu.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Alt+Ctrl+G (Win) / Option+Command+G (Mac). Either way "clips" the image to the shape of the letter. If we look again in the Layers palette, we can see that "Layer 1" now appears indented to the right with a small arrow pointing down at the Type layer below it, telling us that we've successfully created our clipping mask:

Images In Text: The Layers palette in Photoshop showing "Layer 1" being "clipped" by the Type layer below it.

And if we look in our main document, we can see that sure enough, the image now appears as if it's inside the letter:

Images In Text: The image now appears inside the first letter of the word.

Step 16: Resize And Reposition The Image Inside The Letter

We have our first image inside our first letter. All we need to do now is resize and reposition it so it looks the way we want it. To do that, with "Layer 1" still selected, press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up Photoshop's Free Transform box and handles around the image. The Free Transform box and handles will appear around the entire image, even though the only part of the image you can see is whatever's showing inside the letter.

If you can't see some of the Free Transform handles because they extend outside the viewable area in the document window, press Ctrl+0 (Win) / Command+0 (Mac) to fit everything on the screen. Then simply drag any of the corner handles to resize the image. Hold down your Shift key as you drag to constrain the proportions of the image, and hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) to resize the image from its center if that makes it easier. Move the image around inside the letter by clicking and dragging anywhere inside the Free Transform box:

Images In Text: Use Free Transform to move and resize the image inside the letter.

When you're done, press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) to accept the changes and exit out of the Free Transform command. Here's my image with the work on my first letter now complete:

Images In Text: The first letter is done.

Step 17: Repeat The Same Steps With The Other Letters

To place images inside the remaining letters, simply repeat the same steps we used with our initial letter. First, select the letter in the Layers palette. Then open the image you want to place inside the letter, pressing F on your keyboard a few times if needed until the image appears in its own document window. Click anywhere inside the image and drag it into the main document. The image will appear on its own layer above the letter you had selected. Create a clipping mask to place the image directly inside the letter, then finish things off by using Free Transform to resize and reposition the image inside the letter as needed. It's all just a matter of repeating the same steps, using different images for each letter, until you're done!

I'll go ahead and place images inside my remaining letters using the steps I just outlined. We can see in my Layers palette now that each letter has a separate image on a layer directly above it, and that each image is being "clipped" to the shape of the letter:

Images In Text: The Layers palette showing a separate image on a layer directly above each letter. Each letter is being used as a clipping mask for the image above it.

After viewing my final effect, it seemed like the white stroke around the letters looked a little boring by itself, especially for an outer space design. So to help give my letters more of a sci-fi look to them, I've added an Outer Glow layer style around them, using a light blue/purple color similar to the galaxy swirling around in the background. I won't bother outlining the steps for adding the Outer Glow layer style, since it's not the subject of this tutorial and you may not need or want to use it with your design.

I've also cropped the image around the word to give the effect more focus. Here's my final result:

Images In Text: The final result.

And there we have it!

Seeing The Difference With JPEG Compression

2011-05-01T04:32:00.001-07:00

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Two document windows open in Photoshop, each displaying a copy of the same photo.

But are they really the same image? Appearances can be deceiving, especially on a computer screen. The truth is, they're not the same. The one on the right is the original, uncompressed photo, as if it was downloaded directly from a digital camera. The one on the left is a copy of the photo saved in Photoshop at 60% image quality, which is a fairly typical setting. This means that the image on the left has been compressed.

I realize it's a little difficult to tell in the screenshot above, but if you were to look at both of these images on my screen in Photoshop, you'd have trouble telling which one is compressed and which one isn't. If we were to print them, the differences would become clear, but on a computer screen, which has a much lower resolution than a printed image would have, the differences are not so easy to spot. At least, not without using Photoshop's Difference blend mode to help us out.

I said a moment ago that the Difference blend mode looks for differences between two layers, and that any areas between the two layers that are exactly the same appear as pure black. Let's put this to the test. I'm going to select my original, uncompressed photo, and I'm going to duplicate its Background layer in the Layers palette by pressing Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac). I now have two layers in the Layers palette - the original Background layer on the bottom and a copy of the Background layer, which Photoshop has named "Layer 1", above it:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The Layers palette for the original, uncompressed photo showing the Background layer and the copy of the Background layer above it.

Since "Layer 1" is a copy of the Background layer, both layers should be identical. We can use the Difference blend mode to prove that they are. I'm going to go up to the blend mode option at the top of the Layers palette and change the blend mode for "Layer 1" from "Normal" to Difference:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Changing the blend mode of "Layer 1" to "Difference".

With "Layer 1" set to the Difference blend mode, if I look at the image in the document window, I see that the entire image is now filled with solid black, which is the Difference blend mode's way of telling me that both layers are in fact identical:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The image is now completely filled with solid black, indicating that both "Layer 1" and the Background layer are identical in every way.

Let's take things even further to be absolutely certain that all we're seeing now in the image is nothing but pure black. To do that, we'll use a Levels adjustment layer. I'm going to click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Clicking the "New Adjustment Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers palette in Photoshop.

Then I'll choose Levels from the list of adjustment layers that appears:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Clicking the "New Adjustment Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers palette in Photoshop.

This brings up the Levels dialog box. I can use the Histogram in the center of the dialog box to see exactly what tonal information is being displayed in my image. If every single pixel in the image is displaying pure black, which should be the case if both of my layers are identical, then all I should see in my Histogram is a single vertical bar on the far left, which just happens to be exactly what I'm seeing:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The Histogram in the center of the Levels dialog box is displaying a single vertical bar on the far left, telling me that every pixel in my image is pure black.

The Histogram confirms that there are currently no other colors being displayed in my image except pure black, which means that "Layer 1" and the Background layer are 100% identical. So far, so good. We've now proven what most of us already knew, that when we make a copy of a layer, the copy is identical in every way to the original. Exciting stuff, right? Let's move on.

I'm going to click the Cancel button in the top right corner of the Levels dialog box to exit out of it for now, and I'm going to delete "Layer 1" from my Layers palette by clicking on it and dragging it down on to the trash bin icon:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Dragging "Layer 1" down on to the trash bin icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to delete it.

I'm now left with just my original Background layer once again:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The Layers palette showing the original Background layer.

Now let's see what happens when we use the exact same method to compare the uncompressed version of the photo with the compressed version of it. As I mentioned, it's not easy to see any differences between them simply by looking at them on the computer screen, but let's find out what the Difference blend mode has to say about it. With each version of my photo open in its own document window, I'm going to click inside the compressed version's document window (the one on the left) with my Move Tool and drag the image into the uncompressed version's document window (the one on the right):

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Using the Move Tool and dragging the compressed version of the image on the left into the uncompressed version's document window on the right.

Since both images have exactly the same pixel dimensions (width and height), I'm going to hold down my Shift key and then release my mouse button, which will align the two images perfectly inside the document window:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Both images are now aligned perfectly one above the other in the same document window.

If I look in my Layers palette, I can see that I now have two layers once again. The uncompressed version of the image is on the Background layer, and the version that was saved at 60% image quality is now above it on "Layer 1":

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The Layers palette showing the uncompressed version on the Background layer and the compressed version on "Layer 1".

I'm going to once again change the blend mode of "Layer 1" from "Normal" to "Difference":

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Changing the blend mode of "Layer 1" to "Difference".

And now, with the blend mode of "Layer 1" set to "Difference", if there truly is no difference between the compressed and uncompressed versions of the photo, I should be seeing nothing but pure black when I look at my image in the document window:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The document window after changing the blend mode of "Layer 1" (the compressed version of the photo) to "Difference".

Hmm. Can you see all that faint noise in the image above? It will depend on how you have your monitor set up. You may just be seeing black, but I can see on my screen that it's definitely not pure black like it was before when we were comparing the Background layer with an identical copy of it. There's something else there, and that "something else" is telling us that the compressed and uncompressed versions of the photo are not the same. But just how different are they? Does jpeg compression really make that much of a difference?

Let's use a Levels adjustment layer once again and let the Histogram answer that question for us. I'll click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Levels from the list:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Selecting a "Levels" adjustment layer in the Layers palette.

This again opens the Levels dialog box. Recall from last time that the Histogram displayed a single vertical bar on the far left, which told us that there was absolutely nothing else in our image except pure black. This time, we're seeing something a bit different:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The Histogram is no longer just a single vertical bar.

There seems to be a lot more going on this time on the far left of the Histogram, which confirms that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. There's definitely something else there in the image. The single vertical bar has been replaced by a larger area of black, which means the image itself now contains more than just pure black, and that means there's areas in the two versions of the photo that are no longer identical.

So what's different about them? Simple - garbage. By compressing one version of the image, we've taken the pure, untouched image information and added a whole lot of garbage to it. Noise, junk, call it what you like. The bottom line is, we've damaged the photo. How much garbage did the jpeg compression add? It may not look like much just yet, and it's still hard to see in the image itself, so I'm going to click on the small, white slider on the bottom right of the Histogram and drag it all the way over to the left until it's under the spot where the black slope begins:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: Dragging the white slider from the bottom right of the Histogram over to the left to the point where the black slope begins.

Without getting into a lengthy discussion of how the Levels dialog box works, what I've just done is taken all that faint noise in the image and made it much brighter so we can see it more easily. Remember, any strange colors you see represent areas that are different between the original, uncompressed version of the photo and the version that was saved with jpeg compression:

JPEG Compression and Image Quality: The noise is now much more visible in the image.

Not a pretty sight, is it? Now that we can see things more easily, all of those weird colors represent all the damage we've done to the image by compressing it. The image is now filled with what are commonly referred to as "compression artifacts", which is just a fancy way of saying "we took your perfectly good image information and messed it all up". Compressing a jpeg image can greatly reduce your file size, but as the Difference blend mode is showing us, it can also greatly reduce image quality. Again, it's not always easy to see how much damage your image has suffered by looking at it on your computer screen, but you'll definitely notice the difference when printing in high resolution.

So now that we've seen how much damage we can do to a digital photo by compressing it, what can we do about it? Unfortunately, not much. The jpeg format is still your best bet for saving digital photos, and when file size is an issue, we really have no choice but to compress them. If you're working on a project for the web, you can usually get away with quite a bit of compression before image quality becomes an issue, but if your project is going to print, you'll want to use the original, uncompressed images whenever possible.

And there we have it!

An Easy Way To Find Neutral Gray In An Image

2011-05-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Add A New Layer

With our photo open inside Photoshop, the first thing we need to do is create a new blank layer, so click the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to create a new blank layer above the Background layer:

Click on the New Layer icon.

Nothing will happen in the document window, but we can see in the Layers panel that Photoshop has added a new blank layer named "Layer 1":

Photoshop adds the new layer and names it "Layer 1".

Step 2: Fill The New Layer With 50% Gray

Next, we need to fill our new layer with 50% gray, the same gray we're looking for in our image. To do that, go up to the Edit menu at the top of the screen and choose Fill:

Go to Edit > Fill.

This opens Photoshop's Fill dialog box. Select 50% Gray from the drop-down list at the top of the dialog box:

Set the Use option to 50% Gray.

Click OK when you're done to close out of the dialog box. Photoshop fills the new layer with gray, temporarily hiding the photo below it from view in the document window:

The new layer is now filled with 50% gray.

Step 3: Change The New Layer's Blend Mode To 'Difference'

Go up to the Blend Mode option in the top left of the Layers panel and change the blend mode for Layer 1 from Normal to Difference:

Change the blend mode for Layer 1 to Difference.

The Difference blend mode isn't one that's used too often since it tends to make images look, well, different (some may even say frightening), as we see with my image after changing the blend mode to Difference:

The Difference blend mode certainly makes photos look different.

Believe it or not though, there is a method to the madness. The way the Difference blend mode works is that it compares the layer with the layer(s) below it and looks for differences between them (hence the name). Any areas in the layer which are different from the layer(s) below it show up as strange colors in the image, which is where the purples, blues and yellows are coming from, but any areas which are identical between the layers show up as black, or at least almost black if they're not 100% identical but still pretty darn close to it. In other words, with the Difference blend mode, any areas between the layers which are identical become the darkest parts of the image, and we can now use that to locate any areas that are supposed to be neutral gray!

How? Simple! We're now comparing our image on the Background layer with the layer above it that's filled with 50% neutral gray, which means that any areas in our image which are closest to that midtone gray color will now appear as the darkest parts of our image. So now, finding a midtone gray area is as easy as finding the darkest part of the image!

Step 4: Add A Theshold Adjustment Layer

Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:

Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon.

Choose Threshold from down near the bottom of the list of adjustment layers:

Choose "Threshold".

If you're using Photoshop CS5 as I am, the Threshold controls will appear in the Adjustments Panel, new to CS5. In Photoshop CS4 or earlier, the Threshold dialog box will appear. Click on the little white triangle at the bottom and drag it all the way to the left:

Drag the white slider all the way to the left.

This will turn the image in the document window completely white:

The document window now appears filled with white.

Now slowly drag the triangle towards the right until you begin to see black areas appearing in your image. The first black areas that appear are the neutral gray areas you're looking for (assuming, as I mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial, that there actually are areas of gray in the photo). Continue dragging the triangle until an area of black becomes just big enough that you'll be able to click on it to select it, which we'll be doing in a moment. This is the exact same way you would normally find the darkest parts of the image when you're removing any color casts from the shadow areas, but now, thanks to the Difference blend mode, these darkest areas represent the areas closest to midtone gray. Click OK when you're done to exit out of the Threshold dialog box (Photoshop CS5 users can simply leave the Adjustments Panel open):

Drag the white slider towards the right until a small area of black appears.

Step 5: Click On The Black Area With The Color Sampler Tool

Select Photoshop's Color Sampler Tool from the Tools panel. By default, it's nested behind the Eyedropper Tool, so click and hold on the Eyedropper Tool for a second or two until a fly-out menu appears, then select the Color Sampler Tool from the list:

Select the Color Sampler Tool.

With the Color Sampler Tool selected, click on an area of black in the image to add a marker. Zoom in on the area first if it makes it easier to select your black area, as I've done here:

A small target symbol will appear at the spot you click on with the Color Sampler Tool.

Step 6: Delete The 50% Gray and Theshold Layers

Our layer filled with 50% gray and our Theshold adjustment layer have served their purpose and are no longer needed, so with the Threshold adjustment layer currently selected in the Layers panel, hold down your Shift key and click on Layer 1 below it to select both layers at once. Then drag them down on to the Trash Bin icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to delete them:

Drag the top two layers onto the Trash Bin.

Step 7: Add A Levels Or Curves Adjustment Layer

Click once again on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and this time, select either Levels or Curves, you're choice. Either one will do. I'll use Levels:

Choose either Levels or Curves from the list of adjustment layers.

Step 8: Select The 'Set Gray Point' Eyedropper

As with the Threshold adjustment layer, Photoshop CS5 users will find the controls for Levels or Curves in the Adjustments Panel, while CS4 and earlier users will see the Levels or Curves dialog box appear. Click on the Set Gray Point eyedropper to select it (it's the middle of the three eyedropper icons):

The Set Gray Point eyedropper is the middle of the three.

Step 9: Click With The Eyedropper On The Marker In The Image

With the Set Gray Point eyedropper selected, simply click directly on the small marker in the image (the one we added a moment ago with the Color Sampler Tool) and Photoshop will neutralize the colors in that spot, effectively removing any color cast from the midtones.

Personally, I don't find the eyedropper icon to be very helpful when trying to click on a marker, so you may want to press the Caps Lock key on your keyboard which will change the icon from an eyedropper to a target symbol, identical to the marker's icon, making it easy to line them up over top of each other and then click. I'll leave mine set to the eyedropper icon here just to make it easier to see in the screenshot:

Click directly on the marker to neutralize the midtones in the image.

And with that one click, any color cast in the image's midtones has been neutralized:

Any midtone color cast has been removed.

Step 10: Remove The Marker

To remove the color sampler marker from the image when you're done, with the Color Sampler Tool selected, simply click on the Clear button in the Options Bar at the top of the screen (don't worry if you forget to remove the marker since it won't print anyway):

Click the Clear button to remove the color sampler marker.

Moving Photos Between Documents In Photoshop

2011-05-01T04:07:00.000-07:00

Here, I have two photos open on my screen. I'm using Photoshop CS5 but all versions will look fairly similar. Each photo appears inside its own floating document window:

Photoshop's interface, with two photos currently open.

CS4 and CS5 Users Only: Just a quick note, if you are using Photoshop CS4 or CS5 and you're following along with your own images, they may be opening in tabbed documents rather than in floating document windows. As I mentioned earlier, we'll look more closely at these new tabbed documents in the next tutorial, but for now, if you're not seeing floating document windows, go up to the Window menu at the top of the screen, choose Arrange, and then choose Float All in Windows (again, this is for Photoshop CS4 and CS5 users only):

For CS4 and CS5 users, go to Window > Arrange > Float All in Windows.

Even though we're seeing two document windows on the screen, Photoshop, for the most part, only works with one document at a time (the other one just kind of sits there being ignored). The one we're working on is known as the "active" document, and the easiest way to tell which one is currently active is by looking in the Layers panel. For example, if we look in my Layers panel right now, we can see that the Background layer's preview thumbnail is displaying the photo of the woman looking through the curtains, which means it's the active document:

The preview thumbnail shows us what's on the layer.

To switch between documents and make a different one active, all we need to do is click anywhere inside of it. I'll click inside the photo of the water drops, which makes it the active document, and if we look again in the Layers panel, we see the water drops image sitting on the Background layer. The other photo no longer appears:

With a different document now active, the Layers panel shows a different image.

The important thing to note here is that only one photo at a time was appearing in the Layers panel, not both, and that's because each photo is open in a completely separate document. Yes, both photos are open in Photoshop and yes, I can see them both on my screen, but that's the end of it as far as Photoshop is concerned. All Photoshop sees is two totally independent documents that have nothing to do with each other. I'd like to blend these two photos together, but there's currently no way I can do it, not unless I can somehow move one of the photos into the other photo's document. Let's look at a few easy ways to do just that.

Method 1: Drag and Drop

Moving a photo from one document to another in Photoshop can be a real drag. And by that, of course, I mean that the easiest and most common way to move an image between documents is to simply drag it! To do that, we need Photoshop's Move Tool, which you can access by clicking on its icon at the top of the Tools panel. Your Tools panel may appear as a single or double column depending on which version of Photoshop you're using, but the Move Tool is always at the top:

Select the Move Tool.

With the Move Tool active, click inside the photo you want to move. Then, with your mouse button still held down, drag it into the other photo's document window. I want to move the water drops photo into the other photo's document, so I'll click inside the water photo document, keep my mouse button held down, and drag the photo into the other document:

Click inside one document, hold your mouse button down, and drag the photo into the other document.

When you release your mouse button, Photoshop drops the photo into the other document:

A copy of the photo appears inside the other photo's document.

Notice, though, that Photoshop simply dropped the photo at the spot where I released my mouse button, which in my case placed it in the bottom right of the document. That's kind of a sloppy way to work. A better way to move a photo is to hold down your Shift key as you're dragging from one document to another. In other words, click inside the photo you want to move, hold down Shift, drag the photo into the other document, then release your mouse button, then release the Shift key. Adding the Shift key tells Photoshop to center the photo inside the document.

I'll quickly undo my previous step by pressing Ctrl+Z (Win) / Command+Z (Mac), then I'll again drag the water drops photo into the other document, this time while holding down the Shift key. I'll release my mouse button, then release my Shift key (very important that you release your Shift key after releasing your mouse button), and here we can see that the water drops photo now appears in the center of the document:

The photo now appears in the center.

If we look in the Layers panel, we see that we've successfully copied the photo into the other photo's document, as both photos are now showing, one on top of the other. The original photo is sitting on the Background layer, and Photoshop placed the water drops photo on its own new layer above it:

When you move a photo from one document to another, Photoshop automatically adds a new layer for the photo.

If the "drag and drop" approach isn't your thing, we'll look at two more ways to easily move photos between documents next!

Method 2: Duplicating The Layer

If the freestyle "drag and drop" approach to moving photos between documents doesn't appeal to you, you can also use Photoshop's Duplicate Layer command. First, click inside the document that contains the photo you want to move, which makes it the active document. I'll click inside my water drops photo. Then, go up to the Layer menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choose Duplicate Layer:

Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer.

Alternatively, you can Right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) directly on the layer itself in the Layers panel and choose Duplicate Layer from the menu that appears:

Right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) on the layer and choose Duplicate Layer.

Either way opens the Duplicate Layer dialog box. Enter a name for the layer that the photo will appear on in the other document. I'll name mine "Water drops". Then, in the Destination section at the bottom of the dialog box, select the name of the document you want to move the photo into. I'll select my "looking through window.jpg" document. Yours, of course, will probably be named something different:

Name the new layer, then select the destination document.

Click OK when you're done, and Photoshop copies the photo from its original document into the new one. I can see in my Layers panel that the water drops photo is now sitting on a layer named "Water drops" above the Background layer:

Photoshop placed the photo on a new layer named "Water drops", since that's the name I gave it in the Duplicate Layer dialog box.

Method 3: Copy And Paste

Yet another way to move photos between documents is the standard "copy and paste" method which will be familiar to anyone who's been using a computer for any length of time. First, click inside the document that contains the photo you want to move. Then, go up to the Select menu at the top of the screen and choose All (or press Ctrl+A (Win) / Command+A (Mac) for the keyboard shortcut):

Go to Select > All.

This selects the entire photo. A selection outline will appear around its edges in the document window:

Select the photo you want to move.

With the photo selected, go up to the Edit menu and choose Copy (or press Ctrl+C (Win) / Command+C (Mac)), which copies the photo to the clipboard:

Go to Edit > Copy.

Click inside the document you want to copy the photo into to make it the active document, then go back up to the Edit menu and choose Paste (or press Ctrl+V (Win) / Command+V (Mac)):

Go to Edit > Paste.

Photoshop pastes the photo into the new document, and once again in the Layers panel, we see that the photo has been placed on its own layer above the original image on the Background layer:

One photo has been copied and pasted into the other photo's document.

With both photos now inside the same document, I'm ready to blend them together. An easy way to blend photos is to change the layer blend mode. With the water drops photo's layer active (active layers are highlighted in blue), I'll go up to the blend mode option in the top left of the Layers panel and simply change it from Normal to Soft Light:

Changing the top layer's blend mode to Soft Light.

Changing the blend mode was all it took to combine the two photos into a whole new image, with the water drops now appearing on the window the woman is looking through:

Photo To Sketch With More Detail

2011-05-01T03:47:00.000-07:00

Let's get started!

Step 1: Duplicate The Background Layer

Let's begin as we usually do with photo effects by making a copy of our original image. This way, all of the changes we make will be made to the copy, leaving the original photo unharmed. If we look in the Layers panel, we see our image sitting all by itself on the Background layer, which is currently the only layer in the document:

The Layers panel showing the photo on the Background layer.

Go up to the Layer menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen, choose New, then choose Layer via Copy. Or, for a faster way to run the same command, press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on your keyboard:

Go to Layer > New > Layer via Copy.

Either way makes a copy of the layer. Photoshop automatically names the copy "Layer 1" and places is above the Background layer in the Layers panel:

A copy of the image appears above the original.

Step 2: Desaturate The Layer

Go up to the Image menu at the top of the screen, choose Adjustments, then choose Desaturate:

Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

The Desaturate command quickly removes all color from the image, leaving it in black and white:

The image after running the Desaturate command.

Step 3: Duplicate The Layer

Just as we did in Step 1, make a copy of the layer by going up to the Layer menu, choosing New, then choosing Layer via Copy, or by pressing Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on your keyboard. A copy of Layer 1 appears above the original in the Layers panel:

Photoshop names the new layer "Layer 1 copy".

Step 4: Invert The Image

Go up to the Image menu, choose Adjustments, then choose Invert:

Go to Image > Adjustments > Invert.

This will invert the brightness values in our black and white image, making light areas dark and dark areas light:

Inverting a black and white image creates a "photo negative" effect.

Step 5: Change The Layer Blend Mode To Color Dodge

Change the blend mode of the inverted layer from Normal (the default setting) to Color Dodge. You'll find the blend mode option in the top left of the Layers panel:

Change the layer blend mode from Normal to Color Dodge.

This will temporarily turn the document white:

The document becomes filled with white.

Step 6: Apply The Minimum Filter

Up to this point, the steps have been the same as in the previous tutorial where we turned a portrait into a sketch. In that tutorial, we used Photoshop's Gaussian Blur filter to create the sketch effect by blurring the layer. This time, we want more detail in the sketch than what the Gaussian Blur filter would give us, so we'll use a different filter. Go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, choose Other, then choose Minimum:

Go to Filter > Other > Minimum.

This opens the Minimum filter dialog box. Leave the Radius value at the bottom of the dialog box set to 1 pixel, then click OK to close out of it:

The default Radius value of 1 pixel usually works great.

The photo is instantly converted into a sketch with lots of fine detail, much more than what we could have achieved with the Gaussian Blur filter:

The initial sketch with lots of detail.

Next, we'll darken the sketch lines, colorize it, and learn how to complete the entire effect in 60 seconds or less!

Step 7: Merge The Layers Onto A New Layer

Hold down your Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and, with the key still held down, go up to the Layer menu and choose Merge Visible:

Hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) and go to Layer > Merge Visible.

This will merge all of the existing layers onto a brand new layer, "Layer 2", above them:

Holding down Alt / Option (Mac) while choosing Merge Visible keeps the original layers intact.

Step 8: Change The Blend Mode To Multiply And Adjust The Layer Opacity

Change the blend mode of Layer 2 from Normal to Multiply. This will darken the lines in the sketch. If you find the sketch is now too dark, lower the layer's Opacity value, which you'll find to the right of the blend mode option. Keep an eye on the image in the document window as you lower the opacity to fine-tune the results. I'll lower mine down to 65%:

Change the blend mode to Multiply, then lower the Opacity value.

Here's my result with the sketch lines now darker:

The sketch now appears darker against the white background.

Step 9: Duplicate The Background Layer

Let's add color to the sketch using the colors from the original image, which is sitting safely on the Background layer. First, click on the Background layer in the Layers panel to select it:

Click on the Background layer to select it.

With the Background layer selected, make a copy of it by going up to the Layer menu, choosing New, then choosing Layer via Copy, or by pressing Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on your keyboard. Photoshop duplicates the layer, names the copy "Background copy" and places it directly above the original Background layer:

Photoshop always places a copy of a layer directly above the original.

Step 10: Move The Background Copy Above The Other Layers

Press Shift+Ctrl+] (Win) / Shift+Command+] (Mac) to instantly jump the Background copy layer to the top of the layer stack so it sits above the merged layer (Layer 2). The original photo will once again appear in the document window:

The Background copy layer jumps above the other layers.

Step 11: Change The Blend Mode To Color And Adjust The Layer Opacity

Finally, change the blend mode of the Background copy layer from Normal to Color, which will colorize the sketch. If the color seems too intense, lower the Opacity value until you're happy with the results. I'll lower my opacity down to 50%:

Change the blend mode to Color and lower the opacity if needed.

Here, after colorizing the sketch, is my final result. I've cropped away some of the empty background with the Crop Tool:

The final colorized "photo to sketch" effect.

Photo To Sketch In 60 Seconds Or Less

As promised at the beginning of the tutorial, here's how to create this same photo to sketch effect in 60 seconds or less, using keyboard shortcuts for most of the work! Before you begin, make sure the Move Tool is selected at the top of the Tools panel, otherwise some of the keyboard shortcuts won't work.

Step 1: With the photo newly opened in Photoshop, press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate the Background layer.
Step 2: Press Shift+Ctrl+U (Win) / Shift+Command+U (Mac) to desaturate the layer.
Step 3: Press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate the desaturated layer.
Step 4: Press Ctrl+I (Win) / Command+I (Mac) to invert the layer.
Step 5: Press Shift+Alt+D (Win) / Shift+Option+D (Mac) to change the blend mode to Color Dodge.
Step 6: Go to Filter > Other > Minimum. Leave the Radius value set to 1 pixel and click OK to close out of the filter's dialog box.
Step 7: Press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+E (Win) / Shift+Option+Command+E (Mac) to merge the layers onto a new layer above the others.
Step 8: Press Shift+Alt+M (Win) / Shift+Option+M (Mac) to change the blend mode of the merged layer to Multiply, which darkens the sketch effect.
Step 9: Lower the layer Opacity value if the sketch now appears too dark.
Step 10: Click on the Background layer in the Layers panel to select it, then press Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate it.
Step 11: Press Shift+Ctrl+] (Win) / Shift+Command+] (Mac) to jump the Background copy layer to the top of the layer stack.
Step 12: Press Shift+Alt+C (Win) / Shift+Option+C (Mac) to change the blend mode to Color to colorize the sketch.
Step 13: Lower the Opacity value to reduce the intensity of the color if needed.

And there we have it!

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