Advanced Photoshop - Issue No. 119.Bak

8/15/2019 Advanced Photoshop - Issue No. 119.Bak

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POST PRODUCTION TUTORIAL

MASTER 3D BLENDSWork with 3D render passes & postproduction techniques in Photoshop

BLEND GRAPHICS & PHOTOS

ABSTRACT SCENESCreate an underwater image by mixingcreative photography with textures

The magazine for Adobe ® Photoshop ® professionals

Tutorial files available at:blog.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/tutorial-file

CUSTOMBRUSHES

aint unique characters using amix of photos & custom brushes

PROFESSIONAL

COMPOSITES20

WAYS TWORK

FASTER IN CTime is money, so top digital artists share thessential tips on how to speed up your workf

Blend photos, master the Warp tool,masking and colour adjustments

LUS:

ISSUE 119


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thefoundry. co .uk /mari

3D digital paintingNow available on Mac

Justin HoltImagined by

Created with


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WELCOMEISSUE 119

Welcome to the latestissue of AdvancedPhotoshop . Compositing inCC has never been easierthanks to our pro advice.This month, unlock the keyto perfect selections andmaster realistic images...

IN THIS ISSUE:

GRAPHICSDIGITAL PAINTING

PHOTOMANIPULATIONPHOTO EDITING

ANNA LISA SAYWELLEditor

As any creative professional already knows, thedifference between building a realistic image andone that looks ‘Photoshopped’ is minimal. It can bethe difference between adding that last adjustmentlayer or manipulating Curves. So.. I hear you ask, ifit’s that fickle, how can we help? Well, we havespoken to numerous industry experts about everysection of their workflow, from the initial sketch andselections to adding the final touches, to bring youour professional compositing feature on page 32.

If that wasn’t enough, you can also run throughour cover image from shoot to Photoshop and learnexactly what it takes to build a cinematic image.

Elsewhere in the issue, create dynamicmovement, work with custom brushes and master3D blends in our expert tutorials. Check out our tipsfeature for 20 ways to work faster in Photoshop CCand finally, don’t miss out on our free disc, whichthis month contains over 100 minutes of pro videotuition. Until next month...

FIND US ONLINE:

@advancedpshop /AdvancedPhotoshop

.co.uk

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ISSUE 119 CONTENTS

COVER IMAGE

Wil Wells is the creativedirector and lead artist at

Elevendy, a creativesupport studio based in

California. As specialists incompositing techniques,who better to create our

cover tutorial?!

WIL WELLSwww.elevendy.com

TYPOGRAPHYNEW MEDIA

WORKSHOP:ABSTRACT SCENES74Use Photoshop to create an abstract underwaterscene by blending photography with textures

14 PROJECT FOCUS:THE PATH TO PERSUASIVEADVERTISINGWe chat to Milan-based agency DLV BBDO on howthey created something quintessentially British


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EYE ON DESIGNWhat’s hot, who’s in and thelatest art & design happenings

THIS ISSUE’S PRO PANELOur contributors share Photoshop secrets06PORTFOLIO INTERVIEWFascinating creations08

14 PROJECT FOCUSThe path to persuasive advertising

CONTENTSISSUE 119

004

54 HOW I MADE

32 PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITING TECHNIQUES

24 20 WAYS TO WORK FASTER IN CC

FOR BACK ISSUES, BOOKS AND MERCHANDISE VISIT:

16 SPECIAL PORTFOLIO INTERVIEWCross media design


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TECHNIQUESProfessional artists reveal their high-end Photoshop skills inour easy-to-follow workshops

20 ways to work faster in CC24 INDUSTRY FEATUREREVIEWSWe put the latest creative kit,books and apps to the test

80 FEATURE:Perfect Photo Suite 8.184 REVIEW:SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro5

Free withissue 119

ofAdvanced Photoshop

PREMIUM RESOURCES

PLUS:

A selection of Photoshop Actions, fonts worth

TAILOR MADECREATIVE CONTENT

3D and digital paint techniques

96 ON YOUR DISC

Master 3D blends48 WORKSHOPProfessional composites42 COVER WORKSHOP

Dynamic motion58 WORKSHOP

Professional compositing techniques32 INDUSTRY FEATURE

The Secrets Of Snakes Part 254 HOW I MADE

SEE PAGE 22 OR 63 FOR THE LATEST OFFERSSUBSCRIBE TODAY!

64 AdversusHOW I MADE

90 Shooting smokeRESOURCE PROJECT

66 Custom brushesWORKSHOP

16 CROSS MEDIADESIGN

Abstract scenes74 WORKSHOP

48 MASTER 3D BLENDS

ISSUE 119 CONTENTS

Digital illustration86 READER INTERVIEW

90 SHOOTINGSMOKE

72 Get Closer HOW I MADE


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EYE ON DESIGN THIS ISSUE’S PRO PANEL

THIS ISSUE’S PRO PANELHERE SOME OF THE BEST ARTISTS IN THE BUSINESS SHARE THEIR TOP TIPS ANDTECHNQUES FOR CREATING ARTWORK LIKE NO OTHER

EYE ON DESIGN

BRENDANMCCAFFREYwww.bmcaff.comWhen integrating CG imageswith photography, use a HDR

reflection map from the location to render theimage. Rendering passes for diffuse lighting,reflection, specular and other elements allows ahuge amount of control when trying to effectivelymatch a backplate. Overlaying photographicelements like flares taken from real photos and

film noise helps add the finishing touches.■ Master seamless 3D blends on p48

WIL WELLSwww.elevendy.comMy motto is ‘Create something that has never been seen before’. Don’t settle for something just because it’s straightforward. When it comes toconcepts, try to tell a complicated story in a single image and obsess over the details. If you are asking yourself “how the hell am I going to pull thisoff?” at the beginning of a project, you’re on the right track.

■ Over on p42, Wil shows you how to create a dynamic action scene through professional compositing

© Elevendy Inc.

© Brendan McCaffrey


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© Imagine Publishing Ltd 2014ISSN 1748-7277

Magazine teamEditor Anna-lisa [email protected]

01202 586243

Editor in Chief Dan HutchinsonSenior Designer Dan BevanSub Editor Alicea FrancisPhotographer James SheppardSenior Art Editor Duncan CrookHead of Publishing Aaron AsadiHead of Design Ross AndrewsContributorsChris McMahon, Julie Bassett, Kirk Nelson, Angelica Jopson,Elevendy, Brendan McCaffrey, Caroline Blanchet, NicolasDelhelle, Maciej Hajnrich, Simon Skellon, Larissa Mori andJames Sheppard

AdvertisingDigital or printed media packs are available on request.Advertising Director Matthew Balch

01202 586437Head of Sales Hang Deretz

01202 [email protected]

Cover discJunior Web Designer Steve [email protected]

InternationalAdvanced Photoshop is available for licensing.Contact the International department to discusspartnership opportunities.Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman

+44 (0) 1202 [email protected] of Subscriptions Gill [email protected]

For all subscription enquiries:[email protected]

UK: 0844 848 8402 Overseas: +44 (0) 1795 592 880

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Printing & DistributionPrinted by: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road,Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XTDistributed in the UK & Eire by: Seymour Distribution, 2 EastPoultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT 0207 429 4000Distributed in Australia by: Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre,26 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086

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DisclaimerThe publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicitedmaterial lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is thecopyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazinemay be reproduced in whole or part without the writtenpermission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognisedand used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review.Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure allinformation is correct at time of print, prices and availability

may change. This magazine is fully independent and notaffiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.Photoshop is either a registered trademark or trademarkof Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries and is used with express permission.All $ prices are US Dollars unless otherwise stated.

If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post,email, social network or any other means, you automaticallygrant Imagine Publishing an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the images across its entire portfolio,in print, online and digital, and to deliver the images toexisting and future clients, including but not limited tointernational licensees for reproduction in international,licensed editions of Imagine products. Any material yousubmit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken,neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees, agents orsubcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.

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The magazine for Adobe ® Photoshop ® professionals

CAROLINE BLANCHETwww.ptitecao.com

I used a lot of adjustment layers,light effects and textures to give

the picture a different mood to just a black and white result. For each creation, youneed to make sure that everything looks like it’sproduced in one environment. Playing withsharpness and image blur is also a great way tomake the picture more detailed.■ Caroline shows you how to inject movementinto a static image on p58

MACIEJ HAJNRICH AKA VALPwww.valpnow.comPersonally I love mixing different techniques, from photomanipulation to matte and digitalpainting. Working with stock images or my own photography, adding drawings and juggling with textures makes every single project rich and detailed. Learning and

expanding those skills is my daily goal so I can bring the most wicked and crazy ideas to life.■ On p74, discover how to blend photography and textures into a mesmorising abstract scene

Rendering passes for diffuselighting, reflection, specular

and other elements allows a hugeamount of control when trying to

effectively match a backplateBRENDAN MCCAFFREY / WWW.BMCAFF.COM© Ptitecao Studio

© Valp Maciej Hajnrich


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EYE ON DESIGN PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

CARAS IONUT DISCUSSES HOW A PASSION FOR ART, PHOTOGRAPHYAND LIFE POWER HIS FASCINATING APPROACH TO IMAGERY

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

FASCINATINGCREATIONS

www.carasdesign.com@carasdesignRO

By his own admission Caras Ionut is asimple man, yet his work his anything but.In masterfully compositing images fromhis own stock photography archive – all of

which is taken and owned by Caras himself – Ionutcreates new images that range from the simple tothe downright breathtaking.

There’s a subtle hint of the surreal to the work, just enough to give his creations a strange,dreamlike quality, as if they were half-recollectedmemories of a slowly fading dream. The understatedbeauty of each whispers rather than yells at theviewer. It’s stunning stuff, and masterfully composed,the images tied together by some incrediblyimpressive compositing talent.

And yet Ionut has no formal education and worksas a seaman day to day, his art being a work ofpassion rather than driven by monetary gain. For

Ionut, it’s the other parts of life that are the moreimportant. “I love travelling, I love life and I lovecreating crazy things. I like to talk with strangers likethey’re close friends. I like dancing and screaming onthe street. I have no problem expressing myself.”Just like the art that he creates, there’s more to himthan meets the eye…

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

AND YOUR HISTORY AS A PROFESSIONAL?

I don’t have a great deal of education. I have onlyfinished high school. I have worked on and off since Iwas 12 years old, and as such I have done and beena lot of things in my life. For example, I’ve been awooden finisher; worked on construction sites;tackled daily random jobs; been a salesman andmore. However, for the most part, I’ve been workingas a seaman for over 14 years.

CAN YOU PLEASE TALK A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR

APPROACH TO PHOTOGRAPHY AND YOUR USE

OF IT IN PHOTOSHOP?

I’ve been in love with photography since I was a childwith a film camera. I remember when I bought a filmcamera with my smaller brother, and we loved it somuch that we were upset that we could not split it in

two…although we did try! We decided to share it,having the camera one week each and using onefilm only. Today, I use a professional DSLR camera.Usually I get inspired by all that surrounds me; I seebeauty in everything, and if I’m not sure about what Ishoot, I don’t worry, because I know there will comea time when I will likely end up using it.

Many times when I’m shooting a scene I thinkabout what I can do with it later on in Photoshop. Ialso always think about what I have already in mystock library, and how those images could be

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01Sailing In The Heavy Storm: Ionutcombined a photo he had taken of amodel ship with several sea and waveimages to create this seamless andrealistic integration02The Ground Flight: Children venturingout into the world alone is a recurringsubject in Ionut’s work03Accessories: Ionut’s compositing work isabsolutely superb, blending images fromhis stock photo archive with the utmostskill and attention to detail

All images © Caras Ionut


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combined with the new photos that I’m taking tocreate something unique. It’s like a perfect circle.

Beside this, I sometimes go ‘hunting’ with mycamera for a special scene or something specific

that I need for a work already started in Photoshop.So it often works both ways – sometimes thephotography inspires the art, and at other times it’svice versa.

YOU’VE DESCRIBED YOURSELF AS A ‘PHOTOMECHANIC’. WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THIS?

I’ve always loved to ‘tune up’ pictures and I wanted tocome up with an artistic nickname for myselfsurrounding this. So, because I do a lot of retouching,I like to think of myself as a Photoshop mechanic.People might send me a very bad picture that’s beendestroyed, such as old photos that have beenscanned, and I restore them. So, I believe the ‘photomechanic’ label fits perfectly for my work.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL SEPARATES YOUR ARTFROM THE WORK OF OTHER ARTISTS?

I mostly try to communicate a theme, verydramatically, filtered through brown tones. It’s veryimportant for me to create what I feel inside, even ifthis means that others do not appreciate my work.Every time I have attempted to change my style, Ialways come back to what I do best. For example, Ihave listened to the criticisms of others about mywork in the past, and I have reacted to this byattempting to make my images happier, morecolourful and with a different kind of ‘story’ than thatwhich I usually attempt. But I feel like I’m working forsomeone else when I do that, and not for my soul.

DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TOCREATE ‘FINE ART’ USING DIGITAL TOOLSSUCH AS PHOTOSHOP?

Yes, for certain. For me, without a digital tool, I’mdead. Using such a tool to create fine art is essential.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOURVARIOUS PROJECTS AND ARTWORKS?

Inspiration comes from many different sources. Firstand foremost, my own stock photography is key. It’slike creating a puzzle. I always try to stay focused onthe overall picture, combining my imagery in themost crazy or creative manner I can imagine.

Besides that, I spend a lot of time scrollingthrough pages and pages of similar work on theinternet. The hardest part has already been done,because you can find inspiration simply by googling‘creative Photoshop work’. The community builtaround Photoshop manipulation is growing all thetime. I also watch movies and animation – anythingthat has some kind of crazy scenario or fantasy.

IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING CREATIVE BLOCK,HOW DO YOU OVERCOME IT?

I do often get stuck, and it can make me extremely

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06I’m Watching You: In this example, youcan see how Ionut takes variousphotographic elements and then blendsthem to form something altogether newand beautiful

05Alone In The World: Ionut has a goodeye for stunning photography. He alwayskeeps his future artistic endeavours inmind when shooting

08Lost In: There’s a very familiar visualtheme throughout Ionut’s work – grey,distant and lonely. He says this is hisstyle, and he wouldn’t feel comfortableapproaching his art any other way

07Water World Girl: Ionut’s dreamlikeconcepts are brought to life through hisskillful photo compositing

04The Goose Wall: There’s a subtle hint ofthe surreal to Ionut’s work, his imageryrooted in reality but offering anunderstated hint of the ethereal


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It’s very important for meto create what I feel inside,

even if this means that others donot appreciate my work

Clear Waters Of The Mountains: Ionut conjures the surreal bycompositing everyday characters into unexpected scenes


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nervous and irritated. It’s not always easy to becreative and this kind of work can take a lot of time,energy and effort. I’ll usually go for a long walk, tryand purge my mind of the work and think of greattimes past that make me smile. After I take a breakand tell myself that I will give it another try the nextday. Who knows what I will dream, or what willappear in my mind when I revisit my picture?

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO COMPOSITING?

It’s incredibly important to start with the right picture.You need to consider the potential of the mainsubject, the perspective, the colour range and so on.I usually check to see if I have similar pictures andmaterials in my stock library to effectively add to thisimage, ensuring all evoke the same sense of mood.I would highly advise all Photoshop users take theirown stock photography and build a large library. Tryand memorise what you have in each shot and thinkabout how it might work with new pictures that youtake. For me it’s like working on a huge puzzle, butat the same time, telling a beautiful story.

From a technical standpoint, it’s always importantto pay attention to the details on each element used,and to use them in the same perspective with theright colour, light and shadow. Effects like depth offield are important – you don’t want a flat image. Thiseffect can be achieved with proper use of light andshadow. Try to compare your composition with realimagery as much as possible, to see if things look asif they are blending correctly. Again, this is especiallyimportant with regards to light and shadow, the sizeof the elements, and the mixture of colours used.

CAN YOU GIVE ANY TIPS OR TECHNIQUES ON

THE TOPIC OF COLOUR GRADING?

I have been asked many times about my process inthis regard, but unfortunately I don’t use any kind ofgradient. I use only photos, and try to add some lightor shadow until I can mix the element well with thebackground and sky. Regarding final toning, 99 percent of my work is toned with Nik Software’s ColorEfex. I mostly use warm or cold tones, with somesoft vignetting and cross processing.

■ CREATING YOUR PERSONAL WEBSITEGive your online portfolio a special look that presents yourwork simply and professionally. This website will help youreceive feedback, commissions or exposure via Google. Itwill give you an opportunity to represent yourself, like abusiness card, with organised content and information thateven an inexperienced user can easily browse.

■ SHARING ON PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS

It is very impor tant to share your work on the most visited ormost popular professional creative websites. Again, you willget more exposure from your peers. Try to read all thecomments on your work and respect others’ points of view,critiques or improvement tips. Never feel offended; just behappy your work is attracting attention.

■ BLOGS, INTERVIEWS, DISCUSSIONSIt’s very important to interac t with the community. You canimprove your exposure by writing about your work andsharing your experiences with others. If you alreadyconsider yourself a professional artist, always try to givesmall but useful tips that are easy to understand. Berespectful to everyone and try to answer any questions theymay have.

PORTFOLIO TIPSIONUT SHARES HIS ADVICE FOR GETTING YOUR NAMERECOGNISED IN THE INDUSTRY

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN

The Observer II: Ionut steers away from his usual style andexperiments with colour in this uplifting scene


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EYE ON DESIGN THE PATH TO PERSUASIVE ADVE RTISING

TO CALL ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS TO THE UK, MILAN BASED AGENCYDLV BBDO THOUGHT UP SOMETHING QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH

PROJECT FOCUS

THE PATH TO PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING

The Wall Street Institute is a language centrewith a presence in many corners of theglobe. To promote their English departmentand give potential students a flavour of

Britain, they commissioned DLV BBDO to createsomething fresh and inspiring with a strong message

at its centre. The creative team on the project wasmade up of creative directors Stefania Siani andFederico Pepe, supported by deputy creative directorsValentina Amenta and Davide Fiori. Luca Guarini wasthe art director on board and he told AdvancedPhotoshop how the team got from concept stagethrough to final design, and how Photoshop helpedthem get there. The image stands out as delivering apunchy message that’s clear and beautifully executed.The hardest bit, according to Guarini, was getting theproportions of the pieces to fit.

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF BEHIND THE WORK ANDHOW DID YOU GO ABOUT INTERPRETING IT?The communication objectives of this campaignwere to persuade prospective students to chooseWall Street English and to communicate a specialpromotion that offered a free round trip to anyEuropean city for two people. The idea started fromthe key concept ‘change your future’, to express theopportunities that Wall Street English offers tostudents to open up to the world to new jobopportunities and experiences. The campaignwanted to be inspirational, and motivate students toset ambitious goals and achieve them.

CAN YOU BRIEFLY WALK US THROUGH THESTEPS IN CREATING THE IMAGE FROMSKETCH TO FINAL DESIGN?The creative process was divided into severalphases. The first was the planning phase, where wedeveloped the rough work, studied the perspective

and the balance of the various elements. We thenimported the rough work into 3D software to modeland created a basic perspective that would lend itselfperfectly to reproduce a Union Jack indicative to theoriginal and instantly recognisable.

At the same time, we organised a shoot andphotographed our protagonist with a background.Once the 3D and shooting was complete, we thenmoved on to working in Photoshop, mixing 3D andvarious photographic elements including surfacewater, skies and the reconstruction of the skyline.Once the composition was complete, we used colourcorrection to even all the elements out.

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OFPUTTING IT TOGETHER?The most difficult part of the whole project wasdefinitely achieving an accurate and immediatelyrecognisable rendition of the British flag withoutlosing the perspective.

WHAT ROLE DID PHOTOSHOP PLAY INCREATING THE PIECE?Photoshop was used to map the three-dimensionalelements and make them more photographic.

Luca Guarini is an art director atMilan-based agency DLV BBDO.He works closely alongside hiscreative team at an agency that

has produced work for big namessuch as Pzer, Pepsi and Rolling

Stone Magazine . DLV BBDO ischaracterised by its quirky style

and immaculate attention to detail.

LUCA GUARINIDLV BBDO, MILAN

ABOUT THE STUDIO

www.dlvbbdo.com

WALL STREET ENGLISHNAME OF PROJECT

Additional Credits - Copywriter: Luca Capece, Illustrators:Davide Calluori, Daniele Tribi, Accounts: Charlie Berges, GloriaLeonesio, Fabiola Miccone, Published: J anuary 2014

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Men’s swimming

Mapping the flag Adding texture


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The program was also used to blend all theelements together, re-create the city skyline in mappainting and correct the image colour.

HOW WERE THE WALKWAY AND THE WATER

EFFECTIVELY BROUGHT TOGETHER WITHIN

THE COMPOSITION?

Both elements were created in 3D with an initialmapping of the base and then modified in Photoshopwith various photographic textures blended togetherwith masks and colour adjustments. The advantageof having a solid base in 3D, together with materials,is having guidelines for proper lighting.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR

ADVERTISING TO PUT FORWARD A STRONG

MESSAGE ABOUT A COMPANY?

I think the most important aspect of an advertisementis the message you want to convey. This message isalmost always conveyed through visual aspects. If thegoal is to be noticed and remembered so as to reachpotential clients, then you must think of a visualimpact assessment that remains in the memory ofthe public. Specifically, with this campaign, we havereached our goal. This has been proved by all thepositive feedback we are receiving.

HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO OTHER MATERIALS

AND ADS THAT BRAND HAS?

It is an advertisement that has continuity with allprevious campaigns but it has that added extrasomething due to its simplicity, directness andmemorability. Having said that, it meets and respectsthe guidelines of the brand that are used tocommunicate in an evocative way, often usingreferences to the world of English.

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR READERS FOR

USING PHOTOSHOP TO ENHANCE AND BRING

TOGETHER A RENDERED IMAGE?

Firstly, the choice of images is crucial. Goodphotography and lighting that are in harmony witheach other facilitates the fusion. Photoshop does notcreate anything by itself; it needs photographicelements that are good enough to be processed. It isnecessary to aid the 3D in Photoshop to correct the‘perfection’ that it creates. The image has to lookreal, so we have to add irregularities, aerialperspective, blurs, grains, etc.

Looking more at the specifics of Photoshop,levels, masks and colour adjustments represent thethree fundamental elements needed to deal with anyimage of this kind.

Working with water

Focusing on the skyline

The Photoshop process helped toadd irregularities to images andmake them look real and believableto the viewer

While elements were mapped ina 3D program, final touches suchas the texture on the water weredone in Photoshop

To create just the right look and feel,a separate photo shoot wasconducted to get a figure with theright look and feel in the image

All images © Wall Street English/DLV BBDO


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BELGIAN ARTIST BRAM VANHAEREN DISCUSSES HIS APPROACHESTO SUCCESS IN THE COMPETITIVE WORLD OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

CROSS MEDIADESIGN

www.bramvanhaeren.com

@BramVanhaeren

Belgian artist Bram Vanhaeren currentlyworks as an art director at the creativeagency WS design studio, located by thebanks of the river Scheldt in Antwerp.

However, his story in the world of digital art allstarted when he first gained access to the internet asa young online gamer.

“To communicate with our team we had a smallonline forum, where everyone had these awesomepost signatures – small images about 600px wideand 250px high,” begins Vanhaeren. “It all started forme when I asked a friend on our team how I couldmake my own images for my post signature, and hestarted to talk about Photoshop. I quit gaming, Ilocked myself up during my holiday vacation andstarted teaching myself the software.”

Vanhaeren was hooked. “I was blown away bysimple things, like how I could make something andgo back in time to correct my brushes. And there I

was, 13 years old, making images for friends. Thenext step was joining a creative community online,starting with deviantART and joining Behance a littlebit later,” he continues. “It was the first time Iconnected with other youngsters like me who were just playing around and creating! At this point Irealised I wanted to turn my passion into my job.”

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR

DIGITAL EDUCATION?

It was a bumpy road, and perhaps not the best ormost shining example! I started studying advertisingdesign when I was 17. Unfortunately it didn’t reallywork out for me, as I had already taught myself thebasics and had started to work as a freelancer inbetween classes. I had a pretty clear idea of what Iwanted to do and how. However, in this school theolder teachers didn’t like my work ethic or my ideas.They decided it was better for me to leave the course

after four months. I dropped out and started a designstudio together with my older brother, named Into1– “Two brothers, two styles, blended into one!”

In those two years freelancing, I really focused onmy work and studied marketing and social media,teaching myself a great deal through fantastic blogsand eBooks. We had some fantastic clients and

worked on great projects during these two years.However, when a client asked me if I could comework in Canada, I started to think about my journeyand realised I felt that I wasn’t ready for such bigsteps. It felt like I had missed a big phase in mycareer in dropping out of school. As such, when Iwas 20 I went back to school and started the samecourse as my older brother – Cross Media Design.During this course I actually learned a lot. I finally gotto try out some web design, coding, InDesign, print…it helped me gain a stronger foundation in the basics,which really helped me to get where I am now.

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01Steve Jobs: Vanhaeren suggests thatcreatives should develop a narrativearound their work, explaining whatmotivated them to create each piece.Ultimately, it makes the work moreinteresting to those that are viewing it02The Real Her: Vanhaeren encouragesappreciating other artist’s work, butstresses the importance of believing inyour own ideas first and foremost03Bo Jackson: Vanhaeren stated rentingout a co-working space with otherdesigners is a good idea for freelancers,as it will help with inspiration, creativityand cultivation of your network

All images © Bram Vanhaeren


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CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR STYLE AND WHAT

MAKES IT UNIQUE?

I’m not sure if I can answer this question. Everyartwork is unique in its own way. It’s fantastic to see

so much brilliant artwork pop up everywhere on theweb. It’s just amazing! Be yourself is all I can say. Ifyou love what you do I believe your passion andenergy will shine through in the final product, andyour audience will feel it.

Remember not to get too wrapped up in others’artwork. Appreciate other artists and support thecommunity, but be sure to stick to your own ideas,and enjoy your own work first and foremost. To me,if I want to ensure my work feels fresh, it’s all aboutfeeling excited within the first hour of working on anew piece. I always take a step back at the start tomake sure I’m feeling this excitement before Icontinue. It’s for this very reason that I scrap a lot ofwork as well, because I’m not quite feeling it.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR

VARIOUS PROJECTS?

I get inspired by my own daily life, and the stuff thatreally matters to me. This way I can put my ownvision and energy into my work. Since sport is a bigthing in my life I’ve been inspired by many sportathletes. Their work ethic is simply amazing and Ilove to see it when some kid follows his dream andbecomes a hero after all the years of hard work. It’sinspiring and it motivates me to create my best work.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO LEARN SOFTWARE

SUCH AS AFTER EFFECTS AND PREMIERE PRO

WHEN WORKING AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER?

I know the basics of these programs; just enough tomore ably collaborate with the various studios usingthem. However, I’ve always believed that to succeedyou should focus on one thing and one thing only,and excel with that software. Today there are somany fantastic creatives out there with amazingskills and expertise. As such it can be hard to find aplace to stand out as a creative if you’re onlysemi-good with a variety of software. My advicewhen starting out is to find your favourite programand focus solely on that. It’s about standing out fromthe crowd and showing you have something special.You want to be an expert in something, so start withone specific kind of work and work yourself up.

WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO OUR

READERS TO ACHIEVE AN ART STYLE SIMILAR

TO THAT OF YOURSELF?

Firstly, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is your guide. Itwill help you become better at what you do, not tomention the great feeling of overcoming past failures!I’d also suggest that you experiment a lot – and Imean a lot! As in daily. I never understood why myfellow students didn’t touch Photoshop outside ofclass for fun. Only a few of them did and they’re theones who are making it today. So, put the time and

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06Wolf: Vanhaeren also learned Illustratorearly in his career and has a workingknowledge of software such as InDesign.However, he emphasises the importanceof mastering just one soft ware ratherthan becoming a jack-of-all-trades

05Sofia: Specialising in one particulartechnique might seem narrow-minded,but the better you become at onespecific skill, the more you will be able tostand out from all the other freelancerscompeting for work

08Dance Sur La Moon: Building andmaintaining a network of other artists

and professionals is key to findingfreelance work. Vanhaeren suggestsgetting out of t he house and meetingnew people whenever possible

07Retrograde: This experimentalphotomanipulation was built usingIllustrator and Photoshop, andshowcases his skillful colouringtechnique brilliantly

04The Person That Works The HardestWins: Vanhaeren challenged himself tocreate a new typography piece everyday, to make slogans like this fun to read


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If you love what you do Ibelieve your passion and

energy will shine through in thefinal product and your audiencewill feel it


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effort into your passion. I’ve always said to myfriends, ‘Why do you wake up every morning? Whatis your reason of existence?’ If the answer is a careerin design, make it happen and make sacrifices.

If you have to work after hours to experiment withan idea, then do it. If that means you have to drop outof school, like me, then do it. It took me five yearsinstead of three to get my degree, but in the end Imade it to where I always wanted to be. Get to knowyourself, your friends and your love of life. Be happy,enjoy life and don’t waste your time doing somethingyou don’t like.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO

FREELANCERS AND OTHER GRAPHIC ARTISTS

LOOKING FOR WORK?

Make sure you have something to say; somethingthat will inspire people. When it comes down tobeing hired or not, it’s those one or two discussionswith your future colleagues that will help. Listen tothem and tell your story. Who you are will be waymore important than how fast you work or whatyou’ve created in the past.

For freelancers I would also say find a co-workingspace. I’ve been working in a co-working space for a

while now and it’s amazing. It’s easy to work fromhome on your own, but in a co-working spacecreativity flows around. It’s just amazing. It helpedme a lot. It’s really useful to get out and get to knowyour fellow freelancers and share your experiences.It’s amazing how powerful of a network it can be!

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

YOU HAVE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME IN

THE GRAPHIC DESIGN INDUSTRY?

The biggest lesson is to never give up. Thecompetition might look overwhelming, but put in theeffort and you will find a place within this industry, nomatter what. Getting to know people and growingyour network will also go a long way in finding newclients, projects and opportunities that you might noteven consider when working alone. Go to meetingsin your area, share your experiences and learn fromthe best.

With regards to the tools, in my experience I’vefound that everyone has his or her own workflow. It’samazing to see how everyone works in their ownway. In the end, it’s not about how you use the tools,but your final image. Don’t get frustrated if you seesomeone working in a completely different manner

to you. As long you find your own way to navigatethese programs and create awesome work, itdoesn’t matter how you did it. Play around andexperiment is all I can say!

■ PICK A NICHE

Instead of presenting a variety of work in your portfolio, tryto pick one or two niches from your industry. Pick the stylesyou most like to work in, so that you attrac t the right kind ofclients. If you want to attract mobile developers, forinstance, remove your print work for a while and only shareyour user interface work.

■ TELL A STORY

Pick projects where you can tell a story. Explain why thisproject makes you proud, why you created it and how muchit means to you. People love emotions and they help this torelate with the artist. This is a great way to connect with yourfollowers and attract others.

■ WORK ON YOUR CASE

When presenting a project, put some effort into showcasingthe work that went into it. Photograph your final resultsalongside the sketches and various WIPs that you madewhile working on the project. This way you can display yourtalents throughout the entire creation process, while alsoadding a personal touch to your final presentation.

PORTFOLIO TIPSBRAM REVEALS HIS TOP TIPS FOR DRAWING IN ANIMPRESSIVE LIST OF CLIENTS

Allyson Felix: Much of Vanhaeren’s art focuses on spor ts superstars, peoplefrom whom he derives a great deal o f inspiration and motivation. “I love tosee it when some kid follows his dream and becomes a hero,” he tells us

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN


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© Phil Du

We share the essential tips thatyou need to know to help speedup your workflow


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20 WAYS TO WORK FASTER IN PHOTOSHOP CC TECHNIQUES

Keeping the Layers panelorganised in Photoshop CC is

vital for any artist’s workflow. I name each layerwith around two to four words that basicallydescribe what is in the layer, eg ‘Wires’ or ‘CentreFigure’, so if I need to make any quick adjustments,I can quickly find what needs to be revised. I alsotend to name them in capitals – probably soundsdumb, but it’s easier to see on a very large monitor.

Creating a group for several layers is essentialtoo – it keeps the artwork neatly organised, but thebest thing about creating a group in the Layerspanel is easy editing. If, for example, I wanted toresize the centre figure, I can simply edit all the

elements related to this part of the illustration andthen rework the background elements to fit thecentral figure back in. I also work with a lot ofhand-rendered typography. When I complete thetypography drawing in pen and paper, it might lookfine. However, when it comes to adding colours andtones in Photoshop, I might need to separate eachletter on a single layer so I can adjust the legibilityand breathing space between the typography andthe illustration. Also, by separating the typographyinto a single layer, I can add effects and experimentwith levels and colours.

A new addition to Actions lets you create specific commands like If, Then and Else, so that you can applydifferent settings to different types of images within the same Action

PHIL DUNNEwww.lovetherobot.com

EDMOND YANGwww.yangmedia.com

1. ORGANISE YOURLAYERS

3. CREATE CONDITIONAL ACTIONS

01 PREPARE YOUR ACTIONSWe have two Actions set up for creatingweb-sized imagery. The conditional Action we aregoing to create will determine if the image islandscape or not, and apply the correct Action.Add a new Action as normal.

02 CHANGE TO CONDITIONALPress the Stop button straight awaywithout recording anything. Go to the fly-outmenu from the Actions palette and then chooseInsert Conditional. This will bring up theConditional Action dialog box.

03 SET THE CONDITIONSIn the If Current option, we have chosenDocument is Landscape. We then specify that ifthat is the case, we want to run our landscapeimages Action. If it’s not landscape, we want torun our portrait Action.

If you are using Photoshop CC for web, app or screen design, this feature is a hugetimesaver. Activate it from File>Generator>Image Assets. Simply add an extension tothe name of the layer or groups you want to export and it will save the file accordingly in

real-time. There are many syntaxes you can play around with, from defining JPEG quality to producingretina-friendly assets. For multiple assets, you can specify the layer/layer group: ‘button.jpg95%, 200% button.png, 50% button.gif’. This will create a 95%-quality JPEG, a 200% scaled PNG and a 50% scaled GIF. Google‘Photoshop Generator syntax’ for other powerful syntaxes, and you will find this feature indispensable. Thisopen-source technology is built with Node.js, so you can also write your own plug-ins as well.

2. USE ADOBE GENERATOR

© Edmond Yang

© Image ‘1435176’ from sxc.hu


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5. MAKE USE OF DROPLETSIf you have a selection of common tasks that you complete time and timeagain, then you will probably already have created an Action for them. Toaccess the Action quickly, you can use File>Automate>Create Droplet, whichlets you set up a shortcut that you can place on your desktop. You can drag afile or files to this shortcut and Photoshop will open and automatically run theassociated Action. Remember to keep your Droplets named and organised sothat you can have multiple shortcuts to process all your common tasks.

6. GET APPYGone are the days of sketching out all your ideas in a notebook while waiting for atrain and making sense of them when you’re back on your computer withPhotoshop. Speed up your idea generation and translation into Photoshop by usingone of the many compatible apps available, such as Photoshop Touch if you wantto be able to take photos, quickly edit them and make basic compositions on thego; or Adobe Ideas if you want to make vector illustrations that can be refined inIllustrator or sent to Photoshop or Photoshop Touch.

© Charlie Davis

4. STORE USEFULASSETSGORDON REIDwww.middleboop.comKeeping your vectors in a specific

place is an integral part of a digitalillustrator’s job these days. There are far too many jobsthat require in-depth and intricate illustration with a fastturnaround, and it therefore makes sense to keepparticular vectors in one place. For instance, I wasrecently commissioned to create the next round ofpackaging for New Zealand water brand H2Go. The firstround needed to be in a few days after it was agreed, so Ineeded to move fast and work around certain geometricillustrations I had already created. About two years ago Icreated an Illustrator file with a custom grid, and juststarted experimenting with colours and geometricshapes. As time has gone on, I have added lots to that fileand come back to it whenever time is of the essence. Ihave a number of files like this, so I know exactly where

to go to depending on the particular illustration.

© Gordon Reid/Middle Boop


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08. SET YOUR OWN SHORTCUTSIt’s certainly worth knowing your shortcuts, as theycan undoubtedly speed up your workflow, but it’seven better to create your own custom hotkeys forcommon tasks. Go to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts andyou can pick any item from a Photoshop menu, anyitem from a Panel or any tool and you can assignyour own shortcut to it. If you pick something that isalready in use, you will be given the option to cancel,or remove the shortcut from its previous owner andapply to your new option.

09. SAVE CUSTOM SHAPESIt is easy to forget about Photoshop’s customshapes, as the default designs are limited and, inmany cases, cheesy too. But they are a powerful toolwhen it comes to speeding up your design workflow,especially if you use common designs often. Forexample, if you have a vector-based logo that youhave drawn with the Pen tool, you can save that as acustom shape and apply it in seconds to all futureartworks, rather than having to import the assetevery time you create a new document.

10. BATCH PROCESS IMAGESPhotoshop can automate common changes toimages using its Batch command. You will find thiswithin the File>Automate menu. If you have a folderof images and you want to apply an Action to all ofthem, for example, you can use Batch to select yourimages, choose an Action and run it in one go. This isa brilliant command to use if you have hundreds ofphotos that need resizing, as you can just letPhotoshop do the hard work while you focus onsomething else.

MIKE CORRIEROwww.mikecorriero.com

A great way to speed upyour design process is to

create custom brushes that can be used aspatterns. They can work wonders for producingquick design elements on concept charactersand creatures. If you combine such brusheswith the use of the Lasso tool and Gradient Filleffects like Linear, Radial and Angle, you hardlyeven need to waste any time rendering details.I’ll use the Lasso tool to make a selection thatwill start the base silhouette of a concept andthen fill it with a Linear or Radial Gradient Fill.Once I’ve established two base colours andfilled in the silhouette, I just keep layering moreLasso tool selections and filling them in with

the same technique. It’s so easy to select any ofthose layers and provide some custom brusheffects for chainmail, stripes or spots, etc.

Once you’ve built a library of custombrushes, your production time will increasetenfold. While creating various layers andproviding design elements with the custombrushes, it helps to make use of the layereffects options. I often switch between Overlay,Screen, Multiply, Color Burn and Color Dodgeblend modes. Instead of painting on theselayers, I use the Gradient Fill tool. It essentiallyworks the same way as a brush, but it helps filllarger areas, and in use with the Lasso toolselection, it can provide a lot of nice hard-to-softedge bleed effects.”

7. USE CUSTOMBRUSHES

All images © Mike Corriero


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© Archan Nair

ARCHAN NAIRwww.archann.net

11. DUPLICATE ELEMENTS FOR SPEED

28

12. USE COLOURMATCINGJOSH OVERTONwww.overtongraphics.comIf you wish to add a differentcolour palette to a photo you

have taken, use colour matching. If you have areference photo of the colours you wish to achieve,you can save a lot of time and easily adjust theoriginal photo to use the colours from yourreference shot. Open both images in Photoshop.Select the photo you wish to edit, go to Image>Adjustments>Match Color, select the other photo inthe Source dropdown and adjust the sliders until youare happy. This allows you to effortlessly move thecolour palette of one photo to another. While this isn’tnecessarily perfect, it is a big boost in the rightdirection and you can make any other amendmentsto the image, such as adjusting the brightness andcontrast, until you are happy.

All images © Josh Overton

A quick way to work with many shapes is to duplicate layers, group them and make adjustments or variations in the shapes.

Instead of recreating shapes or fine details, we can use quick adjustments like Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical. We can even assignkeyboard shortcuts to have these processes done really quick. Another method is to make slight colour tone modifications byusing Color Balance (Cmd/Ctrl+B), Hue/Saturation adjustments (Cmd/Ctrl+U) or even Levels adjustments (Cmd/Ctrl+L). This way the elements willalways look different to each other. Using the keyboard shortcut method for creating variations is such an easy way to be more efficient.


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13. MAKE YOUR PHOTOSHOP RUN FASTERDelving behind the scenes into Photoshop’s Preferences isn’t the most exciting task, but you can really up theperformance of the program by making some essential tweaks. For example, under Preferences>Performance, you can up the amount of RAM that Photoshop can use, which will lead to faster performance

(but leave enough for other programs you need to run!). Turn off any aesthetic visuals that you don’t need,such as Borders on the Interface menu, as this can speed things up a bit too. You can also try turning offExport to Clipboard (under General) if you are not going to be pasting assets into a different program, as thiswill save a lot of memory. By spending an hour going through your Preferences you can make the wholeprogram run a lot more smoothly.

15. PHOTOMERGEIf you need to create a panorama image, then

Photomerge, which has already been inPhotoshop for a long time, is the easiest wayfor you to do it. You simply select your chosensource files and then Photoshop stitches themtogether seamlessly.

16. CONTENT AWAREContent-Aware functions have really shown offthe power of Photoshop, and are now used in anumber of tools and functions (Fill, Move,Extend, Scale and Patch). The results might notbe perfect from the offset, but they save a lot ofprep work.

17. SIMPLE 3DThe ability to turn any chosen text or shapethree-dimensional in seconds is a real bonusfor those who don’t have the skill or need toturn to high-end 3D creation programs. Itopens up a whole world of creativeopportunities for Photoshop users.

TOP 3 AUTOMATEDTOOLSSave time by letting Photoshop dothe hard work for you

14. CREATE CUSTOMWORKSPACESPhotoshop lets you switch betweendifferent workspaces, which alter themenus and palettes that you have openby default. These are designed to givequick access to the tools that you need,and hide ones that you don’t. You can pickfrom the built-in workspaces using thedropdown in the top-right, or from theWindow>Workspace menu. If you have asetup you like, you can also save yourown workspace using the same menu,so that you can just see the tools andpalettes that you need for your work.

20 WAYS TO WORK FASTER IN PHOTOSHOP CC TECHNIQUES


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TECHNIQUES 20 WAYS TO WORK FASTER IN PHOTOSHOP CC

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It’s easy to forget about Camera Raw when you aren’t working with RAW images,but it is a very powerful plug-in that you can use on any photograph. It helps youmake quick edits to images using tools designed to maintain the quality of yourshot as well as get creative. A JPEG or TIFF file will open in Photoshop by default,so you need to use Adobe Bridge instead. Navigate to the photo that you want to

edit and then Ctrl/right-click on its thumbnail. From the context menu that popsup, select Open in Camera Raw, which will open the ACR dialog box. From here,you can begin to make creative changes to your photography, while stillmaintaining realism and quality. This is great if you are creating backgrounds andneed a certain colour palette, or if you want to make a dull image more dramatic.

18. MAKE QUICK EDITS WITH CAMERA RAW

19. USE TWO WINDOWS When you are working on a retouching project, it reallysaves time if you can see two views of your image: onereally close up on the area you are working on, and theother a full view. To do this, open the image that youwant to work on. You then go to Window>Arrange andchoose ‘New window for ‘your image’’. This will give youtwo tabbed windows of the same image. Then, go toWindow>Arrange>2-Up Vertical, which will give you thetwo windows side by side. You can now use one to zoomright in and start making retouches, which will updateon the other window so you can see how your editsaffect the image as a whole. This helps you to ensurethat you are keeping a natural effect, while also helpingyou focus on the detail of what you are doing. It savestime zooming in and out as you go.

20. CUT OUT WITH THEREFINE EDGE TOOLThe introduction of the Refine Edgetool has become a real timesaverwhen it comes to cutting out compleximagery, especially things like treesand hair. You can spend some timecutting around the key parts of animage, but chances are that on fiddlyphotos it’s still not going to be perfect.This is when you want to Ctrl/right-click and bring up the contextmenu. From here, you can selectRefine Edge to bring up the dialogbox. Using the powerful Smart Radiusand Refine Radius tools, you caneliminate background colours andextract the most minute of detailsfrom the edges of your selection. Theresult is cut-outs that are so intricatethat they would take hours by hand,leaving you more time to get on withthe creative part.

© Image no: ‘1171634’ from sxc.hu


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TECHNIQUES PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITING TECHNIQUES

DREW LUNDQUISTWWW.ELEVENDY.COM

Drew is aphotograpand digitaat Elevendin Califorhas recentgraduatedBachelor’photograp

ADAM SPIZAKWWW.SPIZAK.COM

Adam is adesigner andillustratorwith over 14years ofexperienceand a strongpassion for3D imaging.

BECHAWWW.BECHA.ME

BECHA is anillustratorbased in Serbia.She graduatedfrom Faculty ofArts in Niš andis currentlyworking as afreelance artist.

DANIEL DURRANSWWW.DDURRANS.COM

Daniel is adigital designerand illustratorfrom London,based in Malta.He is an AdobeCertifiedExpert inPhotoshop.

CONTRIBUTORS

032

PROFESSIONALCOMPOSITING TECHNIQUES

Compositing is a core part of thePhotoshop process, and also one of themost difficult. Believably integratingone image into another is no mean

feat, particularly as the human eye is trained tospot even the slightest discrepancy. However,there are plenty of tips and tricks that can helpyou out. We spoke to several artists to discussthe best approaches to the various stages of thecompositing workflow, starting with the processof selections and cutting out source imagery.

“Isolations or cut-outs are imperative to agood composite,” begins photographer SarahHipwell. “For objects with well-defined edges, Iuse the Pen tool. The selections are saved aspaths (vector masks) which are editable andsaved out as a clipping path with your JPEG.”The Lasso tool comes in very useful for theseselections as well, especially when fast andrough cutting is required.

However, for designer and illustrator Dan ielDurrans, it’s a combination of tools that worksbest: “The most important thing is to work in anon-destructive process, using features such asSmart Objects, masks and alpha channels tosave selections separate from layers,” he tellsus. When it comes to cutting out trickierelements such as hair or blades of grass, amanual approach is usually required. “Alphachannels are often the best way, especially ifyou’re dealing with an image on a flatbackground, such as a studio shot. Start byduplicating whichever RGB channel offers themost contrast and then work on the new alphachannel to create the base of a layer mask.Using a black or white brush with very lowOpacity (5%) in Overlay mode can help withdefining difficult edges. For images with morecomplex backgrounds, use calculation passes,which allow you to blend channels in order toachieve a better mask to work with.”

TOP ARTISTS DISCUSS THEIR APPROACHES TOTHIS FUNDAMENTAL PHOTOSHOP SKILL

SELECTIONS AND CROPPING


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PEDRO FERNANDESWWW.ARQUI9.COM

Pedro is a2D/3D arch-visartist andlicensedarchitect. He iscurrently afreelancer andruns his owndesign studio.

SARAH HIPWELLWWW.SARAHHIPWELL.COM

Sarah is anindependentprofessionalphotographer.She has workedas a trainer anddesigner for bigmultimediacompanies.

ALEX LANIERWWW.LANIERCREATIONS.COM

With abackground inarchitecture andfine arts, Alexgravitatedtowards theconcept art andillustrationprofession.

JOE MOOREWWW.SOAD2K.DEVIANTART.COM

Joe (also knownas soad2K) is adigital artist whoenjoys abstractart in all forms.He likes toexperiment withforms, coloursand textures.

033

© Pedro Fernandes

■

Use the Pen tool and select your image. Dothis using Bezier curves by holding downyour mouse button when clicking. This willguarantee you can curve nicely around the

round sections of your image. Ctrl/right-clickand choose Make Selection. Following this,select the Wand tool (W) and choose RefineEdge. You will see a small brush icon. Clickthis brush and gently refine the edge aroundthe cut-out. You will see it slowly recoveringthe image and occluding some of thebackground. Click OK and exit the MakeSelection menu. Create a mask from yourcurrent selection and – hey presto! – you willhave a near-complete, perfect cut-out.

ROBBY CAVANAUGHWWW.ROBBYCAVANAUGH.VIEWBOOK.COM

Robby is agraduate of CalPoly Pomona.He currentlyworks as aphoto editor andphotographer inthe fashionindustry.


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Using masks correctly is an incredibly important partof any Photoshop process, but particularly so when itcomes to compositing. How you go about usingmasks can often be a deciding factor in whether ornot you achieve a believable composite.

“I use masks for everything,” begins photographerDrew Lundquist. “I’m a big believer in non-destructive editing and I always use a disgustingamount of layer masks, group masks and vectormasks to do so. When first diving into a comp, I willstart with my subject layer in a group. I’ll use the Pentool to outline a selection and apply a mask to thegroup that image is in versus the layer itself. Thisway, anything I add in that group will only apply tothat particular subject, eliminating the need for abillion clipping masks.”

Hipwell agrees that layer masks are the key toachieving a realistic composite. “If your work meanscombining one or more images, then working withlayer masks in Photoshop is always going to beessential. The beauty of layer masks is that you’renot erasing the image; you’re merely hiding orrevealing the cut out image. Working in thisnon-destructive way makes compositing a dream.Holding Opt/Alt and clicking directly on the layermask’s thumbnail in the Layers palette will reveal

the mask. I zoom in and out frequently to see howthe image looks.”

However, arch-vis artist Pedro Fernandes warnsthat a sloppy mask can cause bad results later downthe line. “I tend to use masks in a very organised and

grouped way meaning,” he tells us. “For instance, ona road I will create a group called ‘road surface’, inwhich I mask the delimitations of it, and within thisgroup I will add details like leaves, textures and soon, each individually masked, so I can then add anychanges in the future non-destructively.

“In terms of the masks themselves, I tend to useeither a chalk or hard brush so that the edge isalways nice and crisp. If it does need a little blurring Iwill select the Blur brush in the Tool menu, whichcan be found below Gradient.”

If your work meanscombining one or more

images, then working with layermasks in Photoshop is alwaysgoing to be essentialSarah Hipwell, www.sarahhipwell.com

USING MASKS

Daniel Durrans: Masks are an essential part ofworking non-destructively, ensuring you arenever changing any pixels on the layer itself. Forcompositing, I will often use a vector mask and

a regular layer mask on the same layer, in orderto separate the selections made with the Pentool from other pixel-based selections.Adam Spizak: I use masks in every step whencompositing, both on images and adjustmentlayers. Where masks really show their strengthis on groups. Adding masks to groups enablesyou to have more than one mask on an image.Robby Cavanaugh: When I use the Mask toolfor compositing, I find it is often best to blend ormeld with the Brush tool at a low opacity. Ifyou’re working on a larger composite you canuse the Gradient tool, then work out the detailswith the Brush.

TIPS FOR USING MASKSDANIEL DURRANS, ADAM SPIZAK AND ROBBYCAVANAUGH DRAW ON THEIR YEARS OF EXPERIENCETO OFFER SOME MASKING TIPS

© Robby Cavanaugh


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■ Placing objects: When placing objectsinto a photo, lasso the object and refine theedge. You want to change the Refine Edgesettings to match the depth of field of thephoto. The blurriness or sharpness shouldbe similar to that of its surroundings.

■ Extending objects:In this scene I

extended the grass toreach across thewater by using theHealing Brush tool setto ‘replace’, selectingalready existing grassand patching it in. Thismade it look like newgrass overlaps certainareas, which adds tothe realistic look.

■ Adding clouds: When adding clouds to an image, it ismost important to edit where the clouds meet the vanishingpoint of the horizon. Using a mask with the Gradient tools isan effective way of achieving this realism.

© Robby Cavanaugh


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There’s nothing that gives away a bad compositemore than a skewed composition. Whatever imagesyou’re blending together, they must convey a correctsense of perspective. For Lundquist, pre-visualisinga plan of attack before you even hop into Photoshopis advised, but a little bit of experimentation is what’sgoing to get you where you need to be. “I experimenta lot with depth, scale or perspective once I do startchopping things together,” he tells us. “I’m a suckerfor depth and throw it in where I can, scaling someblurred objects or particles up in the foreground toframe the subject. I rely pretty heavily on the rule ofthirds to tell me where I should place the subject, butultimately I go with my gut; making sure I producethe most effective and compelling composition.”

Spizak also tends to start by drawing grids to helphim with perspective. “Typically using a small 2pxhard brush, you can Shift-click to draw a straight linebetween two points,” he explains. “My primary tool isFree Transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T). It enables you tocreate all sorts of transformation actions like Skew,

For Fernandes, the best tool in your artisticarsenal is that of the human eye. “Perspective is justone of those things; it either looks right or wrong,your brain will easily pick out if it looks off,” he tellsus. “Perspective is also one of the easier aspects as itfollows a specific set of rules that are easilyachievable – there are many great explanationsscattered throughout the internet. In my opinion thebest way is to draw perspective lines, which flowfrom your focal point and follow the horizontal andvertical lines A good example of this is a skyscraperphotograph taken from the ground looking up, asyou will see all vertical lines will seamlessly mergeinto a single point.

“When adding images, I try to observe the basicprincipals of perspective and use my Transformationtools, mainly Warp and Distort, as I find these giveme the best and quickest results,” he concludes. “It isimportant to avoid images that are too distorted, asthis can cause some pixelating within the cut-out,thus leading your eye to spot the mistake.”

Distort or Perspective. My ultimate tip would be toreference a real photograph; that is always the bestway to see how things should look and feel.”

Digital artist Joe Moore typically uses theTransform, Distort and Liquify tools when tweaking

his compositions into shape. “Together they allowyou to taper, bend and turn just about anything intothe perspective you are trying to achieve,” he says.“Once they have been manipulated, I then go aboutblurring the necessary elements to achieve the lookand feel that I’m going for.”

Perspective is just one ofthose things; it will either

look right or wrong, your brainwill always easily pick out if itlooks offPedro Fernandes, www.arqui9.com

PERSPECTIVE AND COMPOSITION

© Expekt/Mangas Gaming


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PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS DISCUSS THEIR APPROACHES TOCORRECTING PERSPECTIVE IN THEIR IMAGERY

Sarah Hipwell : Perspective is key in understandingvanishing points and horizon lines. I often shoot wideangle where a good deal of distortion takes place,especially if it’s a building or an interior shot. Nothingis more jarring to the eye than a building that lookslike it’s about to launch because it is rocket-like inappearance! The Perspective Crop tool is reallyuseful, but if I want full control I use the FreeTransform tool.Robby Cavanaugh: When I photograph, I alwayskeep perspective in mind because I tend to havedifficulties editing if it is off. However, I have comeacross some great ways to fix it. The Warp tool andSkew are probably the best ways to realisticallychange perspective. I actually find the Perspectivetool too harsh and it comes across fake. The Warptool is more delicate and may take longer, but it ismuch more realistic and great for detailed pieces.

© 2014 Sarah Hipwell

© Telenor

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© 2014 Sarah Hipwell


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Once your image has been cut out and placed intothe scene, ensuring a believable and eye-catching

composition, it’s then time to merge it with thesurroundings, using careful refinement of bothcolour and lighting. It is only through this processthat your composited element will sit believablywithin the scene.

“When compositing a number of layers together,often deriving from different source images, it’simportant to define a target layer. This is the layerthat you want to match the tonality of the otherlayers to,” begins Durrans. “I often use Curvesadjustment layers, and go through each channel, oneby one, aiming to match the greyscale tonality withthe target layer. This can be done using theEyedropper tool, and Shift-clicking in the image threetimes; once for highlights, once for midtones, and

once for shadows. Then using the Curves adjustmentlayer, go through channel by channel, matching theLuminance values with the corresponding figure inthe info panel. Often this effect will need to betempered by adjusting the opacity of the adjustmentlayer, but it serves as a good starting point to matchthe tonality of different images.”

Fernandes also highlights the approach of using aCurves layer and adjusting the contrast with theBlack & White, before individually colourising eachchannel. “I will then use Color Balance, followed by aPhoto Filter adjustment layer to give it a final toning,”

he tells us. “This is not a fixed process, as I tend tofind for some images it works well while others

need very few tweaks up from the bottom layer. It’simportant to not have too many adjustment layers,as this will lead to crunching of colours and will alsomake the file much slower to work with.”

Lighting your image must also be carefullyapproached. “Always reference real-life light

scenarios,” says Spizak. “I try to look where the lightsare in my image, how they would change the sceneand impact the mood. Once my layers are in place, Ialways start by adding a Black & White adjustmentlayer to all of them. Setting Black & White layers toMultiply, Overlay, Screen or Linear Dodge (Add) givesa great amount of control when adding the lights andworking with shadows.”

Curves will come in incredibly useful whenworking with lighting. “I use Curves for 90% of mylighting needs, because it holds the tones and keepsthe quality of the image intact without adding

unwanted noise and grain,” says illustrator AlexLanier. “The colours also appear more vibrant whenusing Curves on darker images.”

Photographer Robby Cavanaugh agrees. “I useCurves when playing with lighting changes, mainlybecause it offers a larger range than other methods.I combine the Curves with other layer masks anduse the Brush tool to blend it more effectively.”Moore often uses soft gradients, blending them overthe areas of his scene. “This is a fairly simpleprocess, but can take some time to get right,” hesays. “I play with the opacity and blending options alot. Once I have the foundation laid out, I then do anycorrections by painting shadows and extra highlightson a new layer.”

COLOUR CORRECTION AND LIGHTING

■ Tweaking the render: I used clipping masks toremove the background and Curves to adjust thecontrast and brightness. I added a Hue/Saturationadjustment to shift the hue closer to blues. Using a10px Blur tool (K), I blurred the tentacles on thebottom and back of the creature to fade them out.

■ Compositing the background and colour: Thebackground is a set of five images of the bottom ofthe sea blended with masks and a Color Balanceadjustment, pushing the values to a more tropicalblue sea mood. I used Curves adjustment layers onthe creature to push the values higher.

■ Details and final touches: The Pen tool wasused to cut out all the separate fishes and masks toblend them with the background. The bubbles wereadded using a custom brush. Finally, Lens Blur wasadded at the end of the process to create a morephotographic feel.

COLOUR AND LIGHTADAM SPIZAK GIVES TIPS FOR LIGHT AND COLOUR CORRECTION TECHNIQUES IN PHOTOSHOP

Try different blendingoptions with different hues.

Sometimes the oddest ofcombinations work the bestSarah Hipwell, www.sarahhipwell.com

© Joe Moore

All images © Adam Spizak


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■ BECHA ON BLENDING ELEMENTS

“When it comes to colour correction, the rule Ifollow is simply to please my eye, instead offollowing what I have learned from books. Myfavourite tool is Curves (Red/Green) as it

helps me to achieve a vintage feel and theright contrast without needing to use theactual Contrast option. When it comes tolighting, my collage style mixes many kindsof materials, and sometimes I am unable toaffect the direction of light on an image I amusing. As such, I simply try to use it in a waythat will follow the general direction of light inmy illustration, such as by flipping or rotatingthe image. I also avoid mixing images wherethe contrast is too different.”


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FINAL TOUCHES

COMPOSITING TIPS DREW LUNDQUIST OFFERS HIS TOP TIPS FOR A PERFECT COMPOSITION

- Practise non-destructive editing. Maskeverything – layers, groups andadjustments.- Pre-visualise everything. Have a solutionfor every prop, model and supporting asset.- Experiment with depth to force your focalpoint. Throw the background out of focusand try working with blurred objects in theforeground to frame your subject. Thisusually creates some cool effects.- Don’t limit yourself to one crop. Leaveroom on the outskirts of your image toexperiment with crops of all different shapesand sizes.

Even once your image has been properly integratedinto a scene through use of careful perspective,

colour grading and lighting tweaks, there remainmany final adjustments that can really help sell thebelievability of your composition.

“Once an image is complete there are a fewdifferent effects that can be added for a better effect,”says Moore. “Typically I do any last colour correctionswith the Color Balance tool and then sharpen it up.As far as filters are concerned, on occasion I will do aHigh Pass filter with a low setting and then fade itwith a blending mode of Soft Light. This will give theimage a sort of HDR look.”

Durrans will often use a layer filled with 50% greyand set to Overlay, and will then paint on details withvery low opacity black and white brushes, with thetechnique of boosting contrast selectively and with

great accuracy. “I will also sometimes use a GradientMap adjustment layer, where I will create a gradientof colours, from light to dark, using the Eyedroppertool to select colours from the image itself,”continues Durrans. “Set it to Soft Light, and with amuch reduced opacity, this adjustment can helpsmooth out differences in tonality betweencomposited images.”

In her more surreal artwork, Serbian digital artistand illustrator BECHA usually adds a finaladjustment layer using Curves, along with one ortwo textures that will link all layers. “This texture willhave some grain, light vignette and a slight shade ofyellow or blue. These layers are then placed above alllayers in illustration, adding to the overallatmosphere of the piece.”

Alex Lanier, meanwhile, likes to get in up closeand personal: “I zoom in on actual pixel level to makesure that every object I composite into an image hasexactly the same image quality. For example: if thebackground has a little noise to it (like a photograph),

I will add the same noise to the composited object sothat everything is seamless.”

Compositing is no easy task, but follow thisworkflow and keep the various tips suggested inmind, and your skills will only improve the more youput them into practice.

© Drew Lundquist

I zoom in on actual pixellevel to make sure that

every object I composite into animage has exactly the sameimage qualityAlex Lanier, www.laniercreations.com

© Adam Spizak



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ARCH VIS COMPOSITES LEARN HOW PEDRO FERNANDES TRANSFORMED HIS 2110 BRASILIA INTERIOR VISUALIZATION FROM RAW RENDER INTO THE FINAL COMPOSITED IMAGE

■ Raw render: This is generally how the 3D renderfirst looks. At the moment the image is quite flatand needs some further separation of elements.The channel layers produced in the renderer willallow me to quickly and easily select the differentmaterials and elements without the need for thePen or Lasso tool.

■ Lighting and basic grading: I built mood withlight and colour. I used a normal layer with blendmodes set to Overlay or Soft Light and graduallypainted in the lighting with a soft brush. I thengraded the image with a Levels adjustment layerand added a Color Balance layer. I also used a softbrush to paint in lighting and streaks.

■ Final adjustments: I added a Curves adjustmentlayer, managing colour and contrast, then painted indetails like specs and dust. You can add these usinga simple brush, altering its Scattering and ShapeDynamics. For final touches I used a Sharpen>Unsharpen Mask filter with a small radius. I alsoadded a Noise filter at a low value of 2%.

All images © Pedro Fernandes

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SPEED FROM START TOFINISH

WORK INPROGRESS

Progress 2: Add the explosion

Progress 3: Final details

PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITES TECHNIQUES

WIL WELLSwww.elevendy.com

OUR EXPERT

Wil Wells is the creative director and

lead artist at Elevendy, a creativesupport studio based in California.His work has been used innumerous videogames includingSplinter Cell Blacklist .

@wilwellsSOURCE FILESYou will find a great selection oftextures, particles, 3D renders andthe RAW camera files for use in thisproject on the disc or at http://blog.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/tutorial-files .

SETTING THE FOUNDATIONSTART MASKING AND PLACING ELEMENTS

02 PEN TOOL MAYHEMOnce you’ve outlined the model with thePen tool, you can close the path by clicking on thefirst point that you set. You can now go to Window>Paths to find the path for your mask and Cmd/Ctrl-click the icon to the left of the title. Your path isnow selected.

01 START CHOPPING!Start out by creating anew mask for your chosen heroimage. Open the ‘hero.jpg’ file andselect the Pen tool (P). You’ll beusing the Pen tool to trace aroundthe model and create a path. It’s a

good idea to set your points sothey are slightly cutting into themodel, as this will ensure thebackground doesn’t show up onthe edges.

03 GET ORGANISEDGo back into the Layers palette, select thelayer that the hero is on and press Cmd/Ctrl+G. Thiswill create a group folder to keep all of your model’stouch-ups organised. You can then create a maskbased on your path selection and apply it to thegroup, not the individual layer.

PHOTOMANIPULATION

Progress 1: Detail the hero

BLEND MULTIPLE IMAGES TOGETHER, MASTER THE WARPTOOL, MASKING AND COLOUR ADJUSTMENTS

PROFESSIONALCOMPOSITES

This tutorial will show you how to create acomplex action scene by mixing variousphoto resources as well as 3D modelswithin Photoshop. Our hero has just

escaped the clutches of his arch nemesis; not onlyis he going to make an epic getaway, but he’s goingto blow the evil headquarters sky high! It was all tooeasy until he started being chased by an attackchopper that’s bent on revenge. Luckily our hero isready to run for his life.

We wanted to create an action scene thatconveyed speed and energy. Through the use ofcreative composition, photography, 3D models andthe mighty power of Photoshop, we’ll be doing justthat, making a still photo-composite that has theenergy of a big budget action movie. Only this willbe about $250,000 cheaper to make! We’ve alreadytaken the studio photos for you and providedtextures, particles, and a 3D chopper modelled andrendered out of CINEMA 4D.


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TECHNIQUES PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITES

06 SET THE SCENEYou can now create your background usingthe railroad track image provided. Once it’s open,place it into its own group called BG and rotate thetrack image clockwise to add a little action to thescene, then drop your hero on top. Above the tracklayer, add the sky photo to the BG group. Rotate it just as you did with the track layer, then add a maskto it. With your Brush tool set to black and the sky’smask selected, paint to reveal the track layer.

05 MASK THE HAIRFor masking short hair like our model’s, afun way to get the job done is by using Photoshop’sbuilt-in Brush tool setting, Dune Brush. Select yourBrush tool and go to Window>Brush. In your brushpresets, select the brush titled Dune Brush. It lookslike a single blade of grass. In the settings for theDune Brush, you can rotate and flip the angle of thebrush to match the direction of the hero’s hair. TurnColor Dynamics off and paint in the hair with white.

04 PERFECT MASKSOnce your mask is ready, you can nowdetail it out. When masks are too sharp it can lookunnatural in a composition. With the mask selected,switch to your Blur tool, set the Strength to 25% andblur the edges of your mask. Try to get the blur onthe mask to match the focus of the photo.Sometimes it can help to put a solid colour behindthe layer you are working on to get a much betterview of what you’re masking.

08 BRIGHT BUILDINGSSince the buildings aren’t matching up withthe sky, you’ll need to do some colour correction.Select the right building layer and create a Levelsadjustment layer. Adhere it to the constraints of thebuilding layer below it by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+G to create a clipping mask. Double-click theLevels icon to open the options and take the whitepoint (the right slider) and set it to 135. This shouldmatch the sky very closely. Make a mask on thebuilding layer to get rid of hard lines.

07 ADD THE BUILDINGSWe’ve purchased stock photos to use for our buildings from iStockphoto.com . The first building(000012047492) will be positioned on the left. Select the Move tool (V) and move and scale the building tomatch the perspective of the track photo. With the ‘Show Transform Controls’ option selected, you can Cmd/Ctrl-click on any corner of the transform box to distort the image even further to ensure that you placed it inproper perspective. Use the other building (000031327766) and place it on the right side of the composition.

QUICK TIPIn case no one has told you before, NEVER USE DESTRUCTIVE EDITING! You’ll notice that this tutorial usesa lot of masks. Your goal with any file in Photoshop is to always be able to go back to a previous state in afile. Use masks and be careful about eras

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