Photoshop for Kids: Fantasy Art!

In this class you will learn:

1) How to scan your fantasy drawings into the computer.

2) How to take a photo of yourself (or your child) for your fantasy

art scene.

3) How to choose a background image for your fantasy world.

4) How to open your images in Photoshop; cut-out & paste objects

with the Quick Selection Tool.

5) How to layer your images on top of each other.

6) How to resize your images.

7) How to color your drawings in Photoshop.

8) How to flatten your layers into one image that you can share

with your family and friends.

Created by Luis Aponte, August 17, 2020.

This project was funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum

and Library Services. Florida’s LSTA program is administered by the Department of State’s Division of Library and

Information Services.

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How to scan your fantasy drawings into the computer

So, you want to take the drawings from your imagination and put yourself

in your fantasy world? Well, you have come to the right place! A child’s

creative imagination should be nurtured and encouraged because it

strengthens the mind and helps children find creative solutions to

challenging problems. NOTE: Parents may be needed for this fun activity.

Begin by discussing the idea you want to create and then draw each

element of your fantasy world on separate pages. This makes it easier to

separate and edit your images on Adobe Photoshop. In this example, I have

drawn (traced) a pirate ship; a pirate hat and a sword on separate pieces

of paper.

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Once you have completed your

drawings on separate pages, you

can use a flatbed scanner at home,

or the ScanSnap Scanner at your

local Palm Beach County Library.

Your local librarian should be able

to help you (temporarily) scan

your images to the desktop of the

library’s MacBook Pro or to your

own USB drive.

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Open the ScanSnap program on the library’s laptop and then make sure to

do the following steps in order to scan your images and documents to a

folder of your choosing:

1. Click the “Scan” button on the upper left corner of the screen;

2. (A new window will pop up) Click the “Scan to Folder” tab;

3. Press the Scanning Side Setting button, which is the second button

down on the left side of the window that may say, "Auto." Select

"Simplex" so that only one side of the document is scanned;

4. Go back to the main screen and select the Image Quality Setting

button, which is the third button down on the left side of the window that

may also say, "Auto." Select "Excellent" so that you have the highest

quality (resolution) possible.

5. Go back to the main screen again and press the large "Scan" button.

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Once the photo is scanned, you can rename the file and choose where you

want it to be saved.

How to take a photo of yourself for your fantasy art scene

Now it is time for you (or your child) to

get into character for your photo shoot!

You can use a costume to dress up for the

character in your fantasy world, or we can

try to edit the clothes you have on in

Photoshop. In this example, we don’t

have a costume, but we will try to change

the color of our model’s clothes to black

or dark purple because we like those

colors on our pirate! Arrgh!

1. Click in the text box under

“title” and give your file a name.

2. Select the “Browse” button and choose

where you want to save your picture.

3. When you are finished making

changes, click “Save.”

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Using your drawings as a guide, try to imagine how you might best fit within

your fantasy world in order to choose the best pose for your photo. In this

example, we want to place our pirate on his ship, directing the cannon fire.

Make sure you have high energy and have fun with it!

How to choose a background image for your fantasy world

For your fantasy background, you either draw your own background; or you

can do an image keyword search (such as “stormy seas” or “kids fantasy

background”) on Bing.com or Google.com. If you plan to show your

picture on the internet, make sure you filter your results to show only

images that are either “Creative Commons,” “Public Domain,” “Free to

Share and Use,” or “Free to modify, share, and use.” This step is

important in order to protect yourself from using images that have copyright

restrictions.

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*A copyright means that someone owns a piece of creative material (such

as a picture, song, music, movie, book, etc.) and they are the only one that

can decide where and how it may be used. Using copyrighted material

without permission from the owner can get you into trouble. Always respect

the law.

Once you find an image that you would like to use for your fantasy art:

1. Right-click on the image with your mouse;

2. Left-click on “Save As;”

3. Select the location where you want to save your image;

4. Name your image, and;

5. Click the “Save” button.

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How to open your images in Photoshop Once you have saved your images onto a USB drive, plug it in to the

library’s MacBook Pro laptop and open Adobe Photoshop. In order to open all

of your images in Photoshop:

1. Go to “File” in the menu at the top of the screen;

2. Click on “Open”;

3. Click in the folder were you images are located and select all of them

at once by keeping your finger pressed on the “Command” button on the

keyboard and then click each picture you want to open;

4. Finally, click the “Open” button.

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When you open multiple images at once, you will notice you can view each

one by clicking on the tabs at the top of the window that show the names of

each picture.

How to cut-out & paste objects with the Quick Selection Tool Our next goal is to cut out each image and layer them into one picture:

1. Use the Quick Selection Tool (either select

on the tool on the left side of the screen or

press “W” on your keyboard) to paint a

selection around your image. If you

accidentally select areas you didn’t want,

press and hold the “Option” button in order to

click and deselect areas you don’t want to

select.

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2. Once you have selected the areas

around your image, click on

“Select” in the top menu bar and

select “Inverse.” This will switch

your selection to only your

object, instead of the empty

space around it.

3. To copy the object you

have selected, press

“Command” + “C” on

your keyboard, or go to

“Edit” in the top menu bar

and click on “Copy.”

4. Finally, press “Command” + “P” on your keyboard, or go to “Edit” in the

top menu bar and click on “Paste.” This will create a new layer with the

object by itself. SIDE NOTE: You can choose which layers you want to view

by clicking on the eyeball icon next to each layer on the right side of the

screen.

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How to layer your images on top of each other

At the top of the screen, remember there are multiple tabs that show each

of your pictures. Go to each tab and cut out and paste the object from

each tab so that each tab has a new layer with just the object by itself.

Now, let us create a master file where we can place all of your objects

together in layers on one image.

1. Click “File” on the menu bar

at the top of the page;

2. Click “New”;

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3. (A new box will open) Under “Width”,

click in the box and type 10; then click on

the drop-down menu and select “inches.”

You can leave the resolution at 150

Pixels/Inch or you can change the

quality.

4. Under “Height”, click in the box and

type 8;

5. Click “Create.”

In order to copy all of the images you cut out and paste them into the new

master file you created, simply click on each photo tab and:

1. Click on the layer that has your

cut-out object;

2. Press Command + A on your

keyboard to select all

(everything);

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3. Press Command + C on your keyboard to copy the selected image.

4. Go back to the master file tab and press Command + V on your

keyboard in order to paste the image.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each image.

How to resize your images

You may notice that when you pasted your images in the master file, they all

may be different sizes. In order to resize each image:

1. Click on the layer you want to resize;

2. Click on “Edit” in the top menu bar > “Transform” > “Scale”;

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3. Click and drag any corner square around the image and adjust it to the

size you want and press ”Return” on your keyboard when you are finished;

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each image until every object is where you want it

to be.

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How to color your drawings in Photoshop

Once you have placed your pictures where you want them, now you can add

color to each object.

1. Click on the layer you want to color;

2. Hide all other layers by clicking on the little eyeball next to each layer;

3. Select the Magic Wand Tool;

4. Click in the empty space outside of your object in order to select

everything around it.

5. Click on “Select” in the top menu bar and select “Inverse.” This will switch

your selection to only your object, instead of the empty space around it.

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6. Select the paintbrush tool.

7. Instead of painting a solid

color, click on the Mode

drop-down menu and select

“Overlay”, “color burn,”

or “linear burn” so that

you can color your object,

but still see the drawing

details. Experiment with

different modes and reduce

the opacity so that you can

gradually color the image.

8. Choose a color by

clicking on the bottom left

color box;

9. Once you click a color

shade you like, click the

“OK” button.

10. Finally, color your

object any way you like.

Do the same process for all of your objects and have fun with it!

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Placing the Pirate IN the ship:

Some parts of the ship should be in front of the pirate so that it looks like

he’s standing inside the ship. In order to accomplish this:

1. Hide the pirate by clicking on the little eyeball

next to his layer.

2. Click on the layer with the ship.

3. Use the lasso tool to draw an outline around the front

parts of the ship.

4. Click on the eyeball icon next to the pirate in order to show him again

and then click on the layer so that it is the active layer.

5. Click on “Layer” at the top and go to “Layer Mask” > “Hide Selection.”

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Now we have a pirate that looks like he is inside his ship, directing a fire-

glowing cannon ball!

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How to flatten your layers into one image

Now that we have finally completed our picture, all that is left to do is flatten

all of the layers and save it as a .JPEG picture so that you can print it and

share it with friends and family!

1. Go to “Layer” on the top menu bar;

2. Click on “Flatten Image” (This will flatten all of your layers)

3. Go to “File” on the top menu bar;

4. Click on “Save As” > “Save on your computer”

5. Choose the location where you want to save the picture.

6. Change the Format to JPEG by clicking the drop-down menu arrow.

7. Click the “Save” button.

8. Make sure the “Quality” is at maximum (12)

9. Finally, click “OK.”

You’re done! Great job! We hope you enjoyed this creative project. Have fun

with it and experiment as much as you like with the different tools and

settings.