Transforming a Daylight Image Into a Wild Night

Step 1

Open the building photo first. We’re going to select the front gate and isolate it from the background. Press Ctrl + J to duplicate the background layer. Rename this new layer “Gate.” Choose the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) and draw a selection around the gate.

Step 2

Hold down the Alt key and subtract the areas that don’t belong to the gate. After you finish press the Add Layer Mask button. Then set the blend mode to Linear Burn.

Step 3

Select the “Background“ layer, then press Ctrl + J and rename this layer “Lighting.”

Step 4

With the layer “Lighting” selected, go to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects. Select style ‘three down’. Rotate them upside down, and place them in accurate positions. Then move the Exposure Slider to 93 and set the Ambience to 3, as shown below.

Step 5

Open the ”birds” photo and drag it to your composition. Place it behind the “Lighting” layer. Then rename it to “Birds.”

Step 6

Select the layer named “Lighting.” Choose the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L), and draw a selection around the house. Then click on the Add Layer Mask button.

Step 7

Go to the Background Layer, duplicate it, and place it below the “Gate” layer. Change the Layer Blend Mode to Overlay. Then rename the layer to “House Overlay.”

Step 8

Press Ctrl + L for the Levels command. Enter the values shown below.

Step 9

Press Ctrl + U for the Hue/Saturation command. Make sure the Colorize option is selected and enter the values shown below.

Step 10

Make sure the layer “Birds” is highlighted. Then select Sponge tool (O). Set the Mode to Desaturate and Flow to 100%. Click and drag on over-saturated areas, as shown below.

Step 11

Select the Burn tool (O). Set the Range to Shadows and Exposure to 50%. Click and drag over the bright branches.

Step 12

Select the layer “Lighting.” Then Press Ctrl + Shift + U to desaturate the layer.

Step 13

Make a new layer named “Fog,” and place it on top of the “House Overlay” layer.

Step 14

Press D to make sure the foreground color is black and background color is white. Press Alt + Backspace to fill the layer with the foreground color. Go to Filter > Render > Difference Clouds. Then press Ctrl + F twice to make the effect more Volumetric.

Step 15

Change the Blend mode to Linear Dodge (Add) for the “Fog” layer. Then set the Opacity to 18%.

Step 16

Press Ctrl + L for the Levels command. Then enter the values shown below.

Step 17

Select the “Gate” layer, and add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Make sure Colorize is selected. Enter the values shown below.

Step 18

Ok, we haven’t finished yet. Let’s make another stormy version of the same image. Save this image. Then go to the “birds” layer, select the Move tool (V), and move the layer until you can’t see the birds.

Step 19

Set the Opacity of the “Fog” layer to 30%.

Step 20

Make a new layer named “Rain” and place it behind the ”gate” layer.

Step 21

Press Alt + Backspace to fill the layer with a foreground color. Then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Turn on the Monochromatic option. Then set the Amount to 170%.

Step 22

Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Set the Angle to -50 and the Distance to 32. Then press Enter to apply the filter.

Step 23

Press Ctrl + T for the Free Transform command. Scale the layer up to 115% to move unwanted layer edges outside the frame.

Step 24

Hold down the Alt Key and click on the Eye next to the “Rain” Layer to hide all layers except “Rain.“ Then press Ctrl + L for the Levels command. Then set the values shown below.

Step 25

Hold down the Alt Key and press the Eye next to “Rain” layer to unhide all the layers. Then change the Opacity of the “Rain” layer to 80%. Then change the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Step 26

Double-click on Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Then change the values, as shown below.

Step 27

Add a Levels Adjustment Layer and enter the following values.

Step 28

Select the “Rain” layer. Then click on the Add Layer Mask button. Select the Brush Tool (B). Change the Opacity to 50% and make a few clicks on some areas to minimize the rain effect.

Conclusion

You could use this technique on any building photo taken in daylight. In this tutorial, I used a photo I took at sunset. That’s why there are no harsh shadows on the building, which makes the image a good sample to use to show these effects. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Realistic tattoo tutorial on human skin!

Tutorial – Realistic tattoo tutorial on human skin!

June 2, 2008

I’ve decided to create a more realistic tutorial on how to apply a tattoo on human skin and make it look realistic. I’ve seen several tutorials on creating this same effect around the web yet it doesn’t look that realistic, the tattoo needs to look like it’s actually wrapping and embedded on the skin while keeping the quality and highlights of the tattoo.

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Quick notes this tutorial works best with high quality images, also try to find a tattoo’s in which the skin matches your skin you will be working on, that will give the best results, here is a .psd of the sources for you guys to practice on. Lets begin!

>Download PSD file here<

Lets first look at this comparison I made below, the first image is the basic cut and paste technique with an overlay blend, no way you’re going to fool anyone with that. Now lets take a look at the second image, the second image uses cutting, feathering, blending, and sharpening techniques to give it the look that the tattoo is really embedded in the skin, so much so that you can see it literally pop out! Alright, lets begin.

1. Choosing our source images.

Here we need to find two images which we want to work with. It can be yourself, a friend, or someone you want to see how a tattoo would look on them.Then find a picture of the tattoo you want, it’s best to take a tattoo off a picture of someone who actually has a real tattoo, thus giving a realistic look because the tattoo has already been embedded in the skin for you. As an example I’ve chosen my two images as the the following.

2. Placing the tattoo source onto the main source picture.

Take the tattoo source and place it onto the main source (crocop) this will create a new layer. Now on the tattoo layer use the Free Transform option by pressing (CRT+T) now position the tattoo where you want it to be, and rescale and rotate it to fit the current angle.

3 Deleting unwanted areas to fit shape.

Now we need to get rid of that extra piece of junk from the tattoo image so it will perfectly take the shape of Crocop’s shoulders, first off we will want to make the tattoo layer invisible by clicking on the eye right next to the tattoo layer. Then select the polygonal lasso tool and follow the shoulder area like the image shown below. (I know you can use the magic wand tool to get rid of it but for me it’s a better practice to use the lasso tool.

After you have selected the perfect shape around his shoulders make sure your selection is still visible then click the tattoo layer and make it visible again, then press delete. Now you can see the tattoo is starting to take effect by taking the shape of his shoulder, were almost there!

4. Feathering tattoo layer.

This part is very easy and simple. select the magic wand tool (w) and while on the tattoo layer click an area outside the tattoo so that the whole area outside the tattoo is selected.Now go to select > modify > feather and enter a range from 8-10 (for smaller images a range from 3-6 is good) after the feather is set press delete twice, now you will notice the edges of the tattoo is now very soft on the edges making the tattoo ever more realistic on the body.

5. Darken overlay on tattoo.

Select the tattoo layer and on the layers option, drag down to Darken, now this makes the whole ink park of the tattoo appear while the rest of the color disappear to give the effect that’s it’s actually on his skin.

6. Touch up.

Well were basically finished, from this point you can just play around with it anyway you want. I adjusted the curve, lowered the saturation, sharpen the image, and matched the color. Here’s the final product. Hope you enjoy!

Photo to illustration Vector Effect

Here’s Everything Tutorial

Home

I am going to show you that is quick and easy way to convert a picture in illustration vector effect. Here we go!

Step 1: First I will start with an image.

Step 2:Duplicate the Background layer.

Step 3: Now apply the Cutout filter (Filter => Artistic => Cutout). On the left side the amount of detail in the vector can be controlled by adjusting the Number of Levels, Edge Simplicity and Edge Fidelity sliders. For this example I am using 5 levels, with the Edge Simplicity set to 3 and Edge Fidelity set to 3. Click OK.

Step 4: You can trace the areas of color divided by the Cutout filter with the Poster Edges Filter. For this example the Edge Thickness is set to 2, Edge Intensity to 1 and Posterization to 4. Click OK.

Step 5: The color can be changed subtly with a Photo Filter adjustment layer.

Step 6: And finally, to add to the ‘colored’ effect, a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer will help take away the natural highlights/shadows even more.

Step 7: Here is my final vector image:

3D Mp3 Player

Learn how to create a 3D mp3 player from scratch using only photoshop.

Create a new document 600×440 with a background of your choice, select the “rounded rectangle tool” with a radius of 20px.

Draw out your mp3 player shape fill with the color black. Now goto “edit > transform > distort” OR “edit > transform > perspective” OR use a combination of both and transform your shape into something like this.

Label your layer “top”, duplicate this layer and drag the duplicated layer below the “top layer” label the duplicated layer “middle shine” and move it down once using the down arrow key on the keyboard. (ive colored mine in yellow just for your benifit we’ll be adding layer styles later.)

Now while the “middle shine” layer is selected hold down alt on your keyboard and press the down arrow key on the keyboard 15 times, everytime you click the down arrow a new layer is created and moved down. Merge all your 15 duplicated layers together as one, lable this layer “middle. (showed in green on the image below)

Do the same again but only do it 12 times and label this layer “bottom” (showed in grey on the image below)

You should have something like this. Althou it does help if you change the colors so you can see what goes where.

So to recap then we should have 4 layers top, middle shine, middle and bottom. Starting from the bottom upwards we shall add our layer styles. On the layer “bottom” add these layer styles.

Add these layer styles to the “middle” layer.

Add this layer styles to your “middle shine” layer.

And finally add these layer styles to your “top” layer.

You should end up with something like this.

Now on a seperate layer called “display LCD” create your lcd screen.

Make sure your screen is all on one layer, once done ctrl – click your layer to make a selection, then press ctrl-c to copy your lcd to the clipboard. Now create a new layer above your “top layer”, leave this blank for now, just goto “filter > vanishing point” Once vanishing point has loaded up the 1st thing we need to do is create a plane select the plain tool or press “c” just make 4 points like this.

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Now press “ctrl – V” to paste your lcd screen into the vanishing point, drag your lcd screen over your plane that you made in the previous step. You may also resize it a little bit by clicking the transform tool (T). Once you think its ok press enter. You’l be left with this.

The edges of out LCD screen are abit jaggy so cut around it using your prefered cutting tool, just cut 1 pixel off all the way around.

You should be left with this.

Now add these layer styles.

You should have something like this.

Now create a logo for your mp3 player, create it the same way you did your LCD screen, once created goto vanishing point, your plane should still be intact.

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Now make a selection like this.

Fill with the color white and set opacity to 20%.

Also add a line, created by the pen tool, just use the color black, this will act as our crease for the lid.

Now select the rectangle tool and create a yellow rectangle to act as a button, copy it, then goto into vanishing point and setup a new grid.

Paste your button the same way as we did the LCD screen. Press enter when done, now add these layer styles to your button.

You should have a final image like this.

3D Mp3 Player Tutorial courtesy of HV-DESIGNS.CO.UK

Photoshop’s Filters

Using Filters from the Filter Gallery

Photoshop’s Filter Gallery is basically a one-stop place for working with filters in your documents. In the Filter Gallery, you can browse through many different types of filters, apply them individually to your image, or even stack them on top of one another like you would with layers. You can get to the Filter Gallery by going to Filter > Filter Gallery.

Here’s a quick overview of the Filter Gallery:

Filter Gallery Interface

A. Filter Preview

B. Filter List (Note: You can show or hide this list by clicking the arrow icon to the top right of it)

C. Currently Selected Filter

D. Filter Options

E. Effect Layers

F. New / Delete Effect Layer

The Filter Effect Layers work just like ordinary filters in Photoshop, and can be dragged and dropped on top of one another for desired results.

Applying a filter from the gallery is very easy to do. Simply Click on a filter, adjust it’s options to your liking, and click OK to apply. To stack multiple filters on top of one another, just hit the New Effect Layer (’F’ in diagram above), and select another filter. You can expand filter types by clicking the folders in the filter list.

The Cutout Filter quickly transforms a photograph into an abstract piece of art.

Quicker Access to Filters

The Filter Gallery is really just a browser of sorts. If you know exactly what kind of filter you want to use, you can access it directly from the Filter menu in Photoshop to speed things up.

Using Other Filters

Not all filters in Photoshop are available through the Filter Gallery. Many of them must be accessed directly through the Filter Menu, and have unique interfaces and options of their own.

We’re not going to go over every individual filter in this tutorial (doing so would take a very long time), but I highly suggest doing some experimentation on your part with different filters to get an idea of what some of them do.

Let’s look at some of the more common filters used frequently in design.

Blur Filters (Filter > Blur)

The Blur Filters are useful in lots of situations. We’ve actually written several popular tutorials on Tutorial9 that depend on the Blur Filters, such as our article on Adding Depth of Field in Photoshop, and our Windows Vista Aurora Effect Tutorial.

The Lens Blur Filter makes it very easy to create a realistic lens blur effect in Photoshop.

Noise Filters (Filter > Noise)

Noise Filters are great for adding, or reducing noise and grain in photographs. You may find filters such as the Reduce Noise Filter extremely useful if you work with old, damaged, or dusty photographs that need repair work done to them. The Add Noise Filter can also come in handy, and has some creative applications of its own.

Noise can easily be reduced with the Reduce Noise Filter in Photoshop.

Sharpen Filters (Filter > Sharpen)

The Sharpen Filters are also great for correcting imperfections in photographs, as well as putting emphasis on important elements in a design. When working with blurred images, a sharpen filter can be used to clarify and better define edges by increasing contrast between pixels.

The Smart Sharpen Filter used to sharpen a photograph of a statue.

Filters Disabled?

While all filters are available to be used on 8-bit RGB images, many will be unavailable if working with other color spaces, 16-bit, or 32-bit documents. Filters will also be unavailable for use in Bitmap and Indexed-color documents.

If you’re not able to use filters, you may need to go to Image > Mode, and make sure you’re set to RGB, and 8 Bits/Channel, although some image data may be lost.

Hulk Eyes Effect

This is the result we must achieve.

STEP 1

We start selecting that cool eye picture… if you want both eyes to become Hulk eyes, that’s double work. For this tutorial, I’m gonna use only one eye. This is a personal picture.

Using the pen tool, select the eye. For those who are not familiar with the pen tool, you can hold and drag the pen to get curves. After doing that, right click inside it and click in “make selection”. Go to Select > Modify > Feather > 5. Ok.

STEP 2

Don’t loose that selection yet. Create a new layer and name it “GREEN”, select it and paint inside the previous eyes selection, painting it all with just 1 click. Don’t click several times, Just once. Now, invert the selection and delete… it will make our feather effect smoother. Se the GREEN Layer blending mode to Dodge Color.

STEP 3

Invert the selection once more, and after doing that, click in the Original pic layer, and click CTRL + C and then CTRL + V. That will make an eye copy… name it “EYE”.

STEP 4

Now, hold CTRL and click the EYE layer we’ve made earlier. Go to Create new fill or adjustment layer > Hue/Saturation. For the Hue, use a value proper to your picture… make the eye gamma green.

STEP 5

We’re going to use the Dodge and Burn tools. Both of them will have the same values. Range: Midtones, Exposure: 30%. Size the brush as you wish. Use these tools to enhance the areas as shown.

STEP 6

And the Hulk Eye effect is ready. Now we gotta do that greenish feel to the skin. Make a new layer right above the Original layer, fill it with black, set Blending Mode: Hue, Opacity: 40%. Name it “BLACK HUE”.

STEP 7

Repeat the same step, but this time, instead of filling this layer with black, use a really dark green. I’m using #030b00 here. Blending Mode: Hue, Opacity: 30%. Name it “GREEN HUE”.

STEP 8

Now we must sharp the picture a little bit. Select the ORIGINAL layer, and go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Set the values as shown. Do the same for the EYE layer, but instead of using 5 for Radius, use 3.

STEP 9

We also gotta set the mood. If your pictures lacks lighting, this is a important step. Click the ORIGINAL Layer, and select the eyes area. Go to Select > Modify > Feather > 40. Invert the selection and go to Image > Adjustments > Levels > 0,50 (for the middle value).

STEP 10

Without losing this selection, create a new layer called “SHADOW” and fill it with black. Set the Blending mode to Overlay, Opacity: 50%.

FINAL RESULT

And we’re done! Now we got the awesome Hulk Eyes effect. I hope I made myself clear, and that all of you got the same effect. Enjoy, and cheers!

You may download the Sample PSD file HERE.