Photoshop Tutorials

Photorealistic Wood Tutorial

2009-03-29T21:11:00.005+03:00

Create a new image, 500px wide x 4000px high, and choose these colors:
Go to Filter > Render > Fibers and Use these settings:
If you want, you can press the Randomize button a few times until you get the look you want.
Duplicate the layer

With the top layer selected, go to Filter > Distort > Glass and use these settings:
Change the layer blending options to
Now, merge the layers by pressing Ctrl + E
CHECKPOINT - You psd fils should look something like this... except big and vertical...
Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur an use these settings:
Create a new layer
Go to Filter > Render > Clouds
Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and use these settings:
Change the layer blending options to:
Create a new layer
Go to Image > Apply Image and press OK
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and use these settings:
Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue / Saturation and use these settings:
Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and use these settings:
Change the layer blending options to:
Flatten the image
CHECKPOINT - More progress...
Create a small to medium sized vertical ellipse by using the Elliptical Marquee tool
Go to Filter > Distort > Twirl and use these settings:
Repeat numerous times by making different sized elliptical selections in various locations, making sure they follow the direction of the grain, and press Ctrl + F after each selection. These will be the knots in the wood.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and adjust the Saturation and Lightness to your liking. I chose these settings:
Touch it up by using Dodge and Burn both on a fairly large brush size, low opacity, and set to Highlights. Next, try using different sizes and settings to perfect your wood so far.
Select all and copy the image
Make a new channel and paste it inside
Go back to your layers and create a new layer
Fill it with 9D5D4F
Go to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects and use these settings:
Be sure to set the light position so that It is turned 90° from the wood grain and so that the preview image is not lighter or darker than the actual image.
Go to Filter > Blur > Smart Blur and use these settings:
Change Layer Blending Options to:
Rotate canvas clockwise
CHECKPOINT - Your psd file should look something like this so far... except bigger...

Detail:
Optional step - Grungy dust and paint...
1. Pull out your grunge brushes. (Don't have any? You could search DeviantArt's huge selection, or go to websites like www.angryblue.com for splattery brushes)
2. Set Your Foreground color to 20% grey
3. create a new layer
4. paint in some dirty worn looking paint with a large brush size and just click around in places. try to make it unique, so it doesn't just look like the brush. but whatever.
5. create a new layer and set your foreground color to whatever you want your paint to be. just for now, go with a dark green.
6. create a medium sized shape thing with the polygonal lasso tool somewhere in the middle of your board.
7. Hit Ctrl+Shift+I (or go to select > inverse)
8. Repeat step 32.4 but only around the masked selection, to get a sort of spray-painty look, like you set something on there and spray painted it.
9. Press Ctrl+D
10. grab (yes, grab) your blur tool and set it to a basic soft circular brush of about 24px
11. blur the hard edges of your painted thing.
12. next, create a new layer and choose a light grey foreground color.
13. Now, take those grunge brushes and paint in a dusty look scattered thinly across the board (you must be careful of which brushes you choose. the wrong ones will give the wrong effect.).
14. And maybe clean it up with a large grungy eraser
15. maybe take those angryblue brushes and add some splattered paint
16. CHECKPOINT - Here's what mine looked like with step 32 included:

Ray of Light Tutorial

2009-03-04T15:22:00.002+02:00

Use Photoshop to create and add a dramatic ray of light to your photos. It's easy, accurate, and fun!

Finding and Identifying the Light Source

Before we can create the ray of light, we need to separate the bright areas from the image.

Step 1

Open a photo you would like to edit. Or, you may use the photo used in this tutorial (from iStockPhoto).

Step 2

Before we start, we need to duplicate the layer (Layer> Duplicate or Ctrl+J).

Step 3

To find and separate the light source in the photo, we'll use the Levels tool (Image> Adjustment> Levels or Ctrl+L). Drag the middle input slider all the way to the left.

Forming the Ray of Light

Step 4

Now that we have the light source identified, we can distort it into a ray of light. For this process, we'll use the Radial Blur filter (Filter> Blur> Radial Blur) with these properties set:
Amount: 100
Blur Method: Zoom
Quality: Best
After you have those properties set, click and drag the blur center to the area where you would like the ray of light to zoom out from.

Step 5

You'll notice that there are visible speckles on the ray of light. Don't worry about it, we can simply apply the filter two more times and most of it will be gone. Press Ctrl+F to redo the previous filter again. After the filter has been processed, press Ctrl+F again to redo the previous filter once more. In total, you'll have pressed Ctrl+F twice.

Blending and Enhancing the Ray of Light

Step 6

Now that we have our ray of light created, we can blend it into the image by changing the blending mode of the current layer to Screen.

Step 7

The ray of light is blended into the photo but it doesn't seem very strong. To increase the visibility of the ray of light, we'll use the Levels tool (Image> Adjustments> Levels or Ctrl+L). Drag the right input slide towards the left to increase visibility. You may also press the Auto button to have Photoshop automatically set it to an appropriate level.

Step 8

If you are working with a large image, you may notice that there are more speckles on the ray of light. To remove this, we'll use the Despeckle filter (Filter> Noise> Despeckle). Press Ctrl+F to repeat the filter until the speckles disappear. Use Despeckle filter sparingly because it will blur the ray of light.

Step 9

Now we need to erase the areas that the ray of light shouldn't visible at. To do this, we'll need to add a layer mask. Add a layer mask to the top layer (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and click on the thumbnail of the layer mask to ensure it has been selected.

Step 10

With the layer mask selected, use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the areas where the light shouldn't appear.

Step 11

To emphasize the colors of the ray of light, use the Hue/Saturation tool (Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation or Ctrl+U) to increase the saturation. Before you can use the Hue/Saturation tool, you need to click on the thumbnail of the ray of light layer.

Final Results

Rollover the images below to see the before and after effect.

Bloom Photoshop Tutorial

2009-02-12T15:13:00.012+02:00

Add a blissful glow to the highlights of a photo. This effect works well with portraits.

Preparing the Document

Step 1

Open an image to edit.

Step 2

Duplicate the layer (Layer> Duplicate Layer or Ctrl+J) and change the blending mode of the new layer to Screen.

Add a layer mask to the top layer (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All). Make sure that the layer mask is selected.

Creating the Mask

In this section, we'll be editing the layer mask to mask out the effect from the shadows.

Step 3

Use the Apply Image tool to apply the Background layer to the layer mask. To do this, open the Apply Image tool (Image> Apply Image) and change the Layer to Background and click OK.

Step 4

Hold the Alt key and click on the thumbnail of the layer mask.

Step 5

With the layer mask still activated, use the Threshold tool (Image> Adjustments> Threshold) and adjust the slider to define where the bloom Photoshop effect will be visible.

Adjusting the Effect

We're now ready to edit the effect. This section is where we'll see the bloom effect in action.

Step 6

Click on the thumbnail of the layer (not its layer mask) to deactivate the layer mask.

Step 7

Open the Gaussian Blur filter (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur). Ensure that Preview is enabled and increase the radius to achieve your desired effect.

Step 8

Inside the Layers pallet, click on the thumbnail of the layer mask to activate. Use the eraser tool (E) to erase the bloom Photoshop effect wherever you do not want the effect to appear. Use the brush tool (B) to add areas where you would like the effect to appear. To start, use a brush or eraser with a low hardness and an opacity of around 50%.

Press the "[" and "]" keys to adjust the size of the brush quickly.

Final Results
This effect creates a similar glow effect as the diffusion effect. The diffusion effect is more natural while the bloom effect is stronger and has more noticeable edges between the shadows and highlights. If you feel the Bloom effect is too strong for your photo and you want to preserve more details, try using the classic diffusion effect.

Wooden Text Effect in Photoshop

2008-11-18T15:23:00.015+02:00

Preparations:

We will use an image of Krakograff texture and a wood texture that can be found on FreeFoto.
Click here to download Krakograff texture.
Click here to download the city image.

Step 1 - Setting Up Background:

Create a document of size 750 by 550px and place the texture image at the center of it.
Go to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects.

Fill in the settings shown in the diagram.

Step 2 - Adjusting Colors:

Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer.

Fill in 0 for Hue, -75 for Saturation and 0 for Lightness.
Create another Levels Adjustment Layer and fill in the values 0, 0.60, 255.

Step 3 - Placing Your Texts:

The font I used in this tutorial is called Stencil. You can download it at Dafont with you have not got it.

Type in your text at the center of the document. Try not to use small font sizes as we will be doing emboss effects later on.

Step 4a - Applying Texture:

I placed the wood texture on top of my "10". Ctrl+left click on the text to load selection.

Apply a layer mask on the wood texture with this selection.

Step 4b - Applying Texture:

Similar to Step 4a, I reduce the size of the wood texture since "Steps.SG" is of a smaller font size.

Ctrl+left click on the texts to laod selection.

Apply a layer mask on the wood texture with this selection.

Step 5a - Apply Emboss Effects:

Right-click on the "10" and select choose Blending Options.

Activate Bevel and Emboss and fill in the settings as shown.

The colors used for Highlight Mode is #CEBE80 and Shadow is #000000.

Step 5b - Apply Emboss Effects:

Activate Inner Glow and fill in the settings as shown.

Right-click on the "10" layer and choose Copy Layer Style. Then right-click on the "Steps.SG" and choose Paste Layer Style.

The color used for Blend Mode is #2E2E00.

Step 5c - Apply Emboss Effects:

Change the Blend Mode of "Photoshop Tutorials" to Soft Light.

You should be seeing something similar to the example.

Step 6 - Adding Border:

Create a new layer below all these texts.

Load their selections and go to Select > Modify > Expand by 6 px.

Fill the selection with #FFFFFF on the new layer. This shall form a white border around the texts.

Step 7a - Adding Pillow Emboss:

Right-click on the border layer and choose Blending Options.

Activate Bevel and Emboss. Fill in the settings as shown in the diagram.

The colors used for Highlight Mode is #DBC09C and Shadow is #000000.

Step 7b - Adding Pillow Emboss:

Activate the Inner Glow and fill in the settings as shown in the diagram.

The color used for Blend Mode is #000000.

Finally, set the Blend Mode of this border layer to Soft Light.

There you have it! I have added a faded skull behind to complete the design.

Metal Text Tutorial

2008-04-05T16:32:00.012+03:00

Step 1:

We're going to try to get a really metallic chrome effect on our text, using curves and other features in Photoshop. Start off with a large canvas, the larger the better - I'm using 800x800. Make some text and have it a light-medium grey, in the example I'll use #B3B3B3. Start off by using a nice big bevel and emboss with settings similar to those bellow. As usual, the size should be suitable for the size of the image; try to make it look like the example.

Step 2:

Now we need to rasterize our layer. Create a new layer by pressing ctrl/cmd + shift + N, then link the new layer with the text layer, and press ctrl/cmd + E to merge it. This will rasterize our text layer. Now we need to adjust the image using curves - press ctrl/cmd + M to open the curves menu, then enter a nice even zig zag, as shown bellow.

Step 3:

Go Image > Adjustments > Variations, set the slider at the top to one notch from the bottom, and then click once on the 'Current Pick' box, once on the 'More Blue' box, and then once on the 'More Green' box - now click OK. Press ctrl/cmd + M again to open up the curves menu, and enter a slightly different curve like bellow. Now add a drop shadow using the default settings by going Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow and clicking OK.

Step 4:

Now use the layer styles again (Layer > Layer Styles) to add an inner glow using the settings in the first image bellow. Go to layer styles again and this time add a second bevel and emboss, with the settings from the second image. For the next stage, we need to create a selection - hold ctrl/cmd and click on the main layer in the layers palette. This will select the letter/text - now go Select > Modify > Contract and enter a value of 3. Now go Select > Feather (ctrl/cmd + shift + D) and enter 3 again.

Step 5:

At the bottom of the layers palette, click the 'Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer' button - a circle half black and half white - and click 'Gradient Map'. Click the arrow at the side of the dialogue box that appears (see the image), and load the file 'Metals'. Apply the gradient in the bottom left (black > white > black - "Steel Bar"), then set this layer's blending mode as 'overlay'. This should give a similar effect to that seen opposite. If not, try the tutorial a few times - there are several variables such as the curves input that can make quite a difference, and it takes some practice!

Energy Blast Tutorial #2

2008-03-25T23:18:00.015+02:00

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a circular blasted ring effect.

Step 1- Vertical Line
Create a new image. For this tutorial, I used 500x500. Fill the background with a dark color. I used #1b1b32.

Create a new layer then double click on that layer, and name it blast.

Create a vertical line on the blast layer by using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M or SHIFT + M). My line was 50x500.
Fill the selection by setting your forground color to white (you can press D to reset to default colors). Then press ALT + BACKSPACE

Deselect by pressing CTRL + D

Step 2 - Spikes

Now we add the spikes.

Filter » Stylize » Wind » [ Method: wind Direction: From the Left ]

Repeat the last filter 2 more times by pressing CTRL + F twice.

Step 3 - More Spikes

Spikes on the other side.

Filter » Stylize » Wind » [ Method: wind Direction: From the Right ]

Repeat the last filter 2 more times by pressing CTRL + F twice.

Step 4 - Motion Blur

Add a little blur.
Filter » Blur » Motion Blur [ Angle: 0° Distance: 20 pixels ]

Play with the # of pixels to get different effects

Step 5 - Polar Coordinates

Rotate the Blast Layer by pressing CTRL + A to select all, then CTRL + T to enter transform mode, then right click on the layer, and select Rotate 90° Clockwise, then press ENTER to apply the transform.

Now would be a good time to copy the blast layer if you want more then one blast ring. You can do this by pressing CTRL + J to duplicate the current layer, then click the eye icon next to the dup layer to turn it off for now.

Now we need to bend this into a curve. Make sure you have the blast layer selected,

Filter » Distort » Polar Coordinates [ Rectangle to Polar ]

Step 6 - Color Dodge

Next set the fill mode to Color Dodge and the fill to 80%.

You should have a nice little blast ring now, and just need something to put below it and then just tweak the fill percent on the layer to get exactly what you want.

Well this in its self, is not all that impressive, so lets go on to the next section where I will show you how to spice it up a bit.

Step 7 - Sun Layer

Create a new layer above the other layers and name it Sun. Fill it with black, by pressing D to reset your colors, then ALT + BACKSPACE to fill with your foreground color. Set the blend mode to Color Dodge.

Filter » Render » Lens Flare [ 105mm Prime, Brightness: 100%]

Make sure your Flare Center is in the center, or as close as you can get it.

Step 8 - Energy

Create another new layer below the sun layer, and name it energy.Set this layers blending mode to Color Dodge.

Filter » Render » Clouds

Filter » Distort » Pinch [100%]

Repete the last filter two times by pressing CTRL + F twice.

Step 9 - Chrome

Copy the energy layer by pressing CTRL + J

Filter » Render » Lighting Effects

Colors: White

Light type: Omni

Intensity: 14

Gloss: 65

Material: 96

Exposure: 30

Ambience: -8

Filter » Sketch - > Chrome [ Detail:4 Smoothness:7 ]

tip: you can play around with the numbers on both the Lighting Effects, and the Chrome filters to achieve different effects.

Step 10 - Levels

Now we just make the whites a little whiter by using Levels

Press CTRL + L to bring up the Levels.

Slide the sliders around untill you get the amout you want. I used 25, 1.00 133

You should have a pretty nice looking energy blast effect.

Step 11 - Play around

This is a very fun tutorial to play around with and create endless possiblilities. Try these on your energy copy layer:

Filter » Render » Lighting Effects

Colors: White

Light type: Omni

Intensity: 14

Gloss: 65

Material: 96

Exposure: 30

Ambience: -8

Levels: 0, 0.55, 187

Photo to Sketch Tutorial

2008-03-25T22:37:00.007+02:00

Learn how to convert photos to sketches.

Step 1:

Here is the photo I am using for this tutorial. Feel free to use it, if you'd like.

Step 2:

Copy your photo into a new document and name ir 'Original'. Duplicate the layer 'Original' and rename it 'Desaturated'. Desaturate the layer 'Desaturated' so that it has no color by hitting Shift+Ctrl+U (Mac: Shift+Command+U). Duplicate the 'Desaturated' layer and name the new layer '1'. Now go Filters>Blur>Smart Blur and use these settings:

Radius: 60
Threshold: 100
Best Quality and use Edge Only.
Click OK and invert the layer, now apply a Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur with a radius of 1, and set its Blending Mode to Hard Light (which can by done in the upper left corner of the Layers Palette).

Step 3:

Duplicate the 'Desaturated' layer, rename it to '2', and move it over layer '1'. Now go Stylize>Emboss and use these settings:

Height: 1
Amount: 119%
Click OK and set the Blending Mode to Hard Light. Duplicate the 'Desaturated' layer, rename it to '3', and move it above layer '2'. Apply the Filters>Blur>Smart Blur filter once again but this time use:

Radius: 10
Threshold: 100
Best Quality and Edges Only.
Click OK. Invert the layer and set the Blending Mode to Multiply and Opacity to 40%.

Step 4:

Once again, duplicate the 'Desaturated' layer, rename it to '4' and move it above layer '3'. Apply the Filter>Styling>Glowing Edges filter with these settings:

Edge Width: 1
Edge Brightness: 7
Smoothness: 6
Click OK and invert the layer. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 40%. Duplicate the layer '4' and Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur it, use a radius of about 3 - 4 this will give us that shaded look. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply and Opacity to 100%.

Step 5: Adding Color

Duplicate the 'Original' layer and name it 'Color' and move it to the top of all the layers. Set its Blending Mode to Hard Light, duplicate the layer 'Color', and set its Blending Mode to Color. Here are the finished results.

Glowing Text Tutorial

2008-03-25T19:31:00.013+02:00

A twist on the typical glowing text tutorial.

Step 1 - Create the Text

Start with a new image 1000x500 and fill the background with black.
Set your foreground color to #042040.
Create a new text layer and center it.
I used a font size of 220 pt.

Step 2 - Outside Glow

Create a new layer , then double click on that layer (in the layers palette), and name it outside glow, and then move it bellow the text layer.

Hold down the CTRL key and click on the the text layer in the layers palette to select it.

Change your foreground color to #16406F then fill the selection with it by pressing ALT + BACKSPACE.

Deselect CTRL+D, and then Gaussian blur the layer 20 pixels.

Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 20 Pixels ].

Step 3 - Small Lines
Create a new layer above the text layer, and name it sml lines.

Select the single row marquee tool by clicking and holding down the mouse on the Marquee Tool in the ToolBox, untill the other tools apear, then selecting it.
Hold down SHIFT and click several different times to create several differt line selections.

After you have several line selections, fill them with white.

Step 4 - Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur the layer by 1 pixel.
Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 1 Pixel ]

Duplicate the current layer. CTRL + J. Then merge the two layers down together CTRL + E.

Set the blending mode to Color Dodge, then open the blending options by right clicking on the sml lines layer and selecting blending options.

Set the fill on the layer to 80%.
Step 5 - Medium Lines
Create a new layer above the sml lines, layer and name it med lines.

Make a selection, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M or SHIFT + M) across the whole image, that is 5 pixels high.

Fill the selection with white CTRL + BACKSPACE

Deselect CTRL + D, then Gaussian blur by 3 pixels.

Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 3 Pixel ]

Set this layers blending mode to Color Dodge, and also in the blending options uncheck Transparency Shapes Layer.

Step 6 - Large Line

Create a new layer above the med lines layer and name it large line.

Make a selection, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool across the whole image, that is 15 pixels high.

Fill the selection with white CTRL + BACKSPACE

Deselect CTRL + D, then Gaussian blur by 5 pixels.

Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 5 Pixel ]

Set this layers blending mode to Color Dodge, and also in the blending options uncheck Transparency Shapes Layer.

Step 7 - Outline

Create a new layer bellow the text layer and name it Outline.

While holding down CTRL, click the text layer to select it.

Expand that selection by 3 pixels.

Select » Modify » Expand [ Expand by 3 Pixels ]

Then fill the selection with a light gray. (#B5BBC2) Press ALT + BACKSPACE to fill, then press CTRL + D to deselect.

Step 8 - Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur Outline by 2 pixels.

Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 5 Pixel ]

Set the blending mode on the layer to Color Dodge, and also in the blending options uncheck Transparency Shapes Layer.

Step 9 - The Darkness Inside

Create a new layer above the the text layer and name it DarknessInside.

While holding down CTRL, click the text layer to select it.

Contract that selection by 5 pixels.

Select » Modify » Contract [ Expand by 3 Pixels ]

Next, fill that selection with black, by pressing D to reset the colors, then ALT + BACKSPACE to fill with the foreground color.

CTRL + D to deselect, then Gaussian blur the layer 4 pixels.

Filter » Blur » Gaussian Blur » [ Radius 4 Pixel ]

Step 10 - Motion Blur

Ok now the fun part. Select the outside glow layer, and then motion blur it as much as you want. On mine i used 200.

Filter » Blur » Motion Blur [ Distance 200 Pixels Angle 0° ]

Glamour Photo Tutorial

2008-03-25T19:06:00.009+02:00

Turn your subject into a supermodel.

Step 1:

Create a duplicate of your image.

Step 2:

Delete everything except the skin. Erase the detail sections with 30-50% opacity eraser.

Step 3:

Selection the layer (CTRL+click on layer) and run >Filter>Noise>Median.Step 4:

Change the Layer Mode to Luminosity - The Opacity is at 100% and needs to be turned down for a more realistic look.Step 5:

The Opacity has been brought down to 65%:

Extra Tip #1

You could also duplicate the "skin" layer and change the Layer Mode to Soft Light for a warmer feel.

Extra Tip #2

Or create an quick tan by changing the second skin layer to Multiply. (bring the Opacity down to less than 50%):

Correcting Tone Using Levels Tutorial

2008-03-25T00:48:00.009+02:00

Tone
The first and foremost item you should be correcting when you bring a photo into Photoshop is the tone, or the variance of dark and light, of the image. Most people do this with the Brightness/Contrast feature. Brightness increases the overall white in a photo, while contrast increases the difference between black and white. Although they may seem effective, using such simple controls can do more harm than good. To become a better Photoshop user you must forget the Brightness/Contrast feature and begin using Levels instead.

What is Levels?
Open up your image and go to the menu item: image>adjustments>levels (or press Ctrl L). This will bring up a graph call a histogram. It plots the tone of an image from black to white (left to right) across the X-axis, with the y-axis being the amount of image information within that range of gray. The higher the peak of more of your image information falls within that range of gray. If you're histogram leans to the left, your image has lots of shadows or black and is possibly underexposed. If your histogram leans to the right, your image has lots of highlights or whites and is possibly overexposed. Histograms that are balanced and symmetrical often stem from images that are more pleasing to the eye and are generally considered to be exposed properly. These images are often referred to having a balanced tone. It's not wrong to have a histogram that leans to the left or to the right, but generally creating a vivid image requires a more balanced tone.

Exposure
What does it mean when an image is over- or under-exposed? When image is so dark that many areas contain pure black and no detail, that portion of the image is considered to be under-exposed. Which means not enough light was getting through the lens to provide enough detail to the film or digital image sensor. If too much light was getting through, portions of the image may become so bright that they lose all detail and become pure white. This called over-exposure.

A histogram shows brightness from pure black to pure white. Everything in between are shades of gray. If a histogram shows the image data is bunching up on the pure white or pure black ends of the graph, and the graph looks as if the head and tail were clipped off, then the image may have under-or over-exposure problems.

Using levels
Open your image.
Press Ctrl. L to bring up the Levels window.
The levels window should look similar to the screen below. You can ignore everything I marked in the blue box.

Image preview:

Take note of the following controls and how they work:

The Black Point slider. By moving the slider you're telling Photoshop that you want the range of tone within the image to start as black here. Any total information to the left of the slider will be lost.

The White Point slider. By moving the slider you're telling Photoshop that you want the range of tone within the image to end as white here. Adjusting the Black Point in the White Point sliders are similar to adjusting the contrast of an image, only you have far more control.

The Gray Midpoint slider. By moving the slider you're telling Photoshop that you want the range of all tones between black and white to center around this point. Moving this control is similar to adjusting the brightness of an image.

Below where it says “Output Levels” is where you can manually clip the highlights and shadows of your image. By moving the black and white sliders along the Clipping Scale, you can force the image to exclude either highlight or shadow information. By shifting the black slider to the right, you are purposely removing some shadow detail in the image. By shifting the white slider to the left you are purposely removing some highlight detail. Essentially this function allows you to remove detail from the tale ends of the histogram if needed.

What does this histogram tell me?

The first thing you need to do when you bring up levels, is to study the histogram. Find out what the issues are, then adjust your sliders to their optimal positions. In this example the far left side of the histogram is lacking information. This means that there are no deep shadows in this photo. You could almost tell by looking at it: The darkest points only reach a dark gray. On the far right a thin line in the graph shows that there are some highlights, but not many. Luckily it appears as though almost no histogram information is being clipped off the far ends of the graph. If too much information was clipped off the far ends, it would be very difficult to fix.

Remapping tone.

Essentially what you need to do is tell Photoshop that you want the image’s darkest shade to become pure black, and the image’s lighter shade to become pure white. This will re-map all the shades in the image, giving it better contrast, detail, and dynamic range.

The Black Point slider. You want to position this slider just under where the left side of the histogram data appears or bulges. You'll notice in the preview, the shadows darken.

The White Point slider. You want to position this slider just under where the right side of the histogram data appears or bulges. You'll notice in the preview, the highlights brighten. Since there were small bits of information on the highlights end, moving this slider passed them has clipped these highlights from the image. Sometimes clipping highlights or shadow detail is a sacrifice that must be made to gain a more pleasing tonal range. It's OK in this case since the highlight data that is present is very small (not a large bulge on the graph).

The Gray Midpoint slider. You can fine tune the brightness of the image by moving this slider, but in most cases this can be left as is.

You can now either click OK to apply the adjustments, cancel, or hold Alt. and click Reset to reset the slider positions. Now you know how to use Levels instead of the brightness/contrast function of Photoshop.

Spectacular Explosion Tutorial

2008-03-24T23:55:00.009+02:00

This tutorial will show how to create an amazing Hollywood-like spectacular explosion.

Step 1:

Start off with a new image of your size with a black backgound. Create a new layer (we're only going to use one layer in this tutorial so don't care to call it something). Create dots with the airbrush, use a 100px brush.

Step 2:

Now do some work with the smudge tool. Drag the smudge tool from out to in and in to out to get a nice effect. Work on it to make it look nice, yet random.

Step 3:

Now here comes the part where all the noobies fall off. This might take time.Start off by using different brushes (I used photoshop brushes only..!) and make effects. Use the grungy brushes and make sparkles coming out of the explosion. Do some more smudging, add more brushing and voila!

Step 4:

Pick up your burn tool, choose the scattered maple leaves brush for your burn tool,master diameter (or brush size if you like)= 15-25

range=highlights

exposure=22%

Now go over your white boring explosion and brush... Release your mouse button and brush over it to create some dark parts and some lighter. Make it cool, yet random. Vary the brush size for better results.

Step 5:

Here comes the easy part - straight ahead actually. Duplicate your layer and set it to hard light. Then go image - adjustments - hue/saturation and get a nice color (you have to lower the brightness to make the colors appear). If your a real pro, you can use color balance. I used hue/saturation.

Step 6:

Duplicate that layer you just made, and set it to Color Burn. Now go image - adjustments - hue/saturation and give it a nice, warm, red color. This will add depth and some realistic effect to it.

Now you're done. This effect works wonderfully in abstracts.

Shocking Text Tutorial

2008-03-24T23:30:00.010+02:00

In this tutorial you will learn how to plug your text into a light socket!

Step 1: - Preparing the Text

Create a new image 400x400px with a “transparent” background. Rename the only existing layer “back”.

Fill ( Edit > Fill ) layer "back" with black ( Hext #000000 ).

Using the Horizontal Type Tool, write some large text in white ( Hex #FFFFFF ). For this tutorial, I wrote “N-sane” in 80 pt with the font Impact.

Rasterize the text ( Layer > Rasterize > Text ). Rename the layer that has the now rasterized text “Text”.

Step 2: - Vertical Wind

Duplicate layer “Text” and rename the new layer “Text 2”. Hide layer “Text 2” by clicking on the eye to the left of it on the Layer Palette.

Activate layer “Text” on the Layer Palette and merge all visible layers ( Layer > Merge Visible ).

Transform the image 90 degrees clockwise ( Edit > Transform > 90 degrees CW ).

Apply the Wind filter ( Filter > Stylize > Wind ) with the method “Wind” and the Direction “From the Right”. Repeat ( Ctrl-f ) this filter.

Now, apply the Wind filter ( Filter > Stylize > Wind ) again except this time, use the Direction “From the Left”. Repeat ( Ctrl-f ) this filter.

Step 3: - Horizontal Wind

Transform the image 90 degrees counter-clockwise ( Edit > Transform > 90 degrees CCW ). We are now going to apply the Wind filter again except this time, only once in each direction.

Apply the Wind filter ( Filter > Stylize > Wind ) with the method “Wind” and the Direction “From the Right”.

Now, apply the Wind filter ( Filter > Stylize > Wind ) again except this time, use the Direction “From the Left”.

Apply the Ripple Filter ( Filter > Distort > Ripple ) to make the light wavy.
Open the Hue/Saturation window ( Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation ) and press Ok with the default values.
Step 4: - Final Touches

Unhide layer “Text 2” and activate it on the Layer Palette.

Select the text on the layer by pressing Ctrl then clicking on the thumbnail of the layer on the Layer Palette.
Contract ( Select > Contract ) the selection by 2 pixels. Now Fill ( Edit > Fill ) in the selection with black ( Hex #000000 ).

Electric Plasma Gel Tutorial

2008-03-24T22:58:00.016+02:00

In this tutorial I will show you how to create what looks to be gel with both plasma and electricity running through it.

Step 1: - Setting Up the Document

Create a new image 400x400 with a transparent background. Fill "Layer 1" with black ( Hex #000000 ). Create a new layer and rename it "Stripes 1".

Change the Foreground Color to Red (#FF0000).Click on the Gradient Tool and use the following setting shown in the image bellow:Step 2: - Creating Gradients
On layer "Stripes 1" make two random gradients like the ones bellow. Do not make them too thick.

Click on your foreground color square and add "50" to the "Hue" (ie. 0 -> 50, 50->100)
Repeat this step until the Hue is 350. By the end of this, you should have an image like the one bellow.
If your gradients are coming out too thick, try dragging less of a distance.

Step 3: - Mixing More Gradients

Create a new layer above layer "Stripes 1" and name it "Stripes 2". Reset the foreground color to Red (#FF0000) and repeat step 2 except this time, make the gradients on layer "Stripes 2".

Change the Blending Mode of layer "stripes 2" to "Difference".

You should now have something like the image bellow:

Step 4: - Finishing the Base

Merge all visible layers ( Layer > Merge Visible ) and Colorize the image using the Hue/Saturation window ( Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation )

Next, add a Plastic Wrap ( Filter > Artistic > Plastic Wrap ) with the settings used in the image bellow:

Finally, to add more contrast to the flesh, duplicate the layer and change the Blending Mode to "Overlay".

Step 5: - Rotations

Rotate the top layer 90 degrees to the right ( Edit > Transform > 90 CW ).
Duplicate the top layer and rotate it 90 degrees to the right ( Edit > Transform > 90 CW ).

Duplicate the newly made top layer and rotate it 90 degrees to the right ( Edit > Transform > 90 CW ).
Your Electric Plasma Gel should be done!

Energy Blast Tutorial

2008-03-19T13:58:00.008+02:00

Learn how to make a neat looking "blasted" effect in this photoshop tutorial.

Step 1:

Start out with a new 250x250 image. Choose a white background. Then press D on your keyboard to reset the colors.

Step 2:

Go to filter > render > clouds

Step 3:

Now go to Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint. Select long lines from the drop down menu.

Step 4:

Next go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Choose 100, zoom, and best.

Step 5:
Finally, to add some color, go to Image > Adjust > Hue/Saturation. You can do this quickly by pressing Ctrl+U. You can adjust the colors there. Make sure you check "colorize".

Adding Simple Clouds Tutorial

2008-03-18T20:35:00.010+02:00

Once you've redrawn your sky, you may want to add some transparent clouds to make it even more realistic.

Step 1:

Create a new layer and name it Clouds.

Set your foreground color to white and with the Paint tool and a feathered brush size of about 20, start painting a few horizontal clouds.

Don't be afraid to have them cut off by the photo edge or slightly overlap the mountains.

Step 2:

Use the Motion Blur filter to make them look more realistic.

I used an angle of -3 and a distance of 198.

This stretches them out so they look more like they are moving and less like you painted them with your finger.

Step 3:

Now add a Gaussian Blur filter to round them out and add a bit more realism.

I used a radius of 17, but you can try experimenting with other settings.

Step 4:

The clouds may overlap with the foreground, so you'll want to use a soft brushed eraser to remove the sections that overlap.
Once you erase the overlapping clouds, you're done.

Try using shades of grey when painting your clouds.

If the clouds appear too prominent when you are done, adjust the opacity of the clouds layer.

Fixing an Overexposed Sky Tutorial

2008-03-08T17:54:00.018+02:00

A great way to realistically fill in the blown out skies in photos, caused by overexposure.

Ever compose a great landscape shot only to realize that when you expose for the land, the sky becomes a pure white? This is a a common limitation photographers have to deal with when shooting landscapes in sunny conditions. You can either expose for the sky or the land? There are ways to tackle the problem: shoot in RAW or shoot multiple exposures and combine them later. But sometimes you just can't plan for these things. We all have a few otherwise great photos that suffer from pure white skies. Here's your opportunity to get those shots out and get them repaired.

Step 1: Open your photo. The exposure of the landscape is perfect, but the sky is so overexposed there is no detail whatsoever. We can't bring back detail that is not there, so we will recreate it. You will need some realistic sky blue colors to continue. You may sample blues from another photo of a sky.

Step 2: With the Lasso Tool draw a rough boundary around the whole sky (1). It doesn't have to be perfect, but you should avoid enclosing anything else that is white, like the waterfall, and you should make sure the selection is flush against the edges of the photo. See the image below to see how I drew my selection.

Now create a new layer (2) and name it Sky.

Step 3: Now we will narrow the selection down to just the sky.

In the Select menu, choose Color Range... The Color Range dialog opens up and allows you to select just by a specific color. Since overexposed areas are usually white, we want to select just the white sky. I start with a Fuzziness of 100 (3), but it can vary from photo to photo. Sample the sky color by clicking on the sky of your photo (4). You will see the preview in the Color Range dialog change to white where the sky is (5).

Step 4: When you click OK, you will see the selection move to fit the sky a lot better than before. If it doesn't, Undo, and try again with a different fuzziness or try sampling a different area of the sky. Yeah you could have just used the Magic Wand tool to select the sky, but this method tends to grab the sky more accurately, especially around the edges.
Step 5: Next, you will need to set your foreground and background colors to a light and a medium shade of blue. Two different shades of blue spanning across a sky provides a more realistic affect than a solid color. It's best to choose one medium shade of blue and one light. Switch the colors so the light shade is the foreground color.
To set your colors, make sure you have the provided blue color swatch or another photo of a sky open. Double click one of the swatches on your toolbar. Instead of using the color picker, click the color on the screen you want to sample, then click OK. Repeat for the next color.
Step 6:Pick the Gradient Tool on the toolbar. Set the options so the gradient mode is Foreground to Background color (6) and the method is Radial (7). A linear method works too, but I prefer the radial technique.
Step 7: With the Sky layer active and the sky still selected with the marquee, use the gradient tool to fill in the sky. Draw a line from point A to point B. This will paint in the gradient across the sky.

Step 8:Now that the sky is painted in, we need to refine the edges where the sky meets the mountains, so it doesn't look as fake.
With the Sky layer selected, press Ctrl-T to transform the blue sky. You want to drag the bottom handle just a small amount to make sure the bottom edge of the sky overlaps the top of the mountains slightly (8). Hit Enter to accept. and press Ctrl-D to clear any remaining selections.
Step 9:By stretching the sky, we are now slightly covering the tips of the mountains. Set the Sky layer's blending mode to Darken and the missing portions will return and the transition between real mountains and fake sky will be smooth.

Try experimenting with different sky colors.

Make Photos Look Like Drawings Tutorial

2008-03-07T17:28:00.012+02:00

Step 1:

Open your photo:

Step 2:

Create a new layer, fill it with white colour and set opacity to 60%:

Step 3:

Select Eraser Tool , select Brushes at the top right corner and use these settings:

Step 4:
Now erase what you want and set opacity to 100%.
Step 5:

Duplicate your photo’s layer, then go to Filter>Artistic>Fresco and set parameters by yourself(I used Brush Size-10; Brush Detail-10; Texture-3):

Step 6:

Finally set layer’s mode to Overlay and with a Crop Tool cut out some unwanted white space:

8 Ball Tutorial

2008-03-06T17:18:00.014+02:00

This tutorial will teach you how to create an 8 ball like this one: Step 1:

Start off by creating a new document (300x300) with a green background.

Step 2:

Create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N).

Step 3:

Press "D" and set white as foreground color. Select the "ellipse tool" and make a circle while holding down shift:

Step 4:

Right click the layer with the ball on it and select "Blending options" Use the same style options as in the screenshots below.

Inner shadow:

Inner glow:
Satin:
Now the ball should look like this:
Step 5:

Create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N)

Step 6:

Select the "ellipse tool" and make a white circle while holding down shift:

Step 7:

Right click the layer with the white ball on it and select "Blending options". Use the same style options as in the screenshots below.

Inner glow:

Stroke:
Now the ball should look like this:
The last part is adding the '8' on the ball.

Step 8:

Create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N)

Step 9:

Select the type tool, use Arial, size 100, bold and type a black 8 in the middle of the white circle.

Now you're finished!

Sleek Text Shine Tutorial

2008-03-05T15:45:00.005+02:00

Step 1:

Open a new document, no matter what size with any background color (depending on your conditions).

Step 2:
Type your text, with a nice and professional font (I personally recommend the Trebuchet MS font), you may select any color.

Step 3:
Press 'D' and then 'X' to reset your foreground and background colors to default.

Step 4:
Create a new layer on the top of the text layer. Now press and hold 'CTRL" (Control button) and then click on the text layer from the layers pallete.

Step 5:
Take the Gradient tool, press and hold the 'Shift' button and then apply a medium gradient effect from the top to the bottom of the text but before doing this make sure that you select the 'Foreground to transparent' gradient and a white gradient should be formed.

Step 6:
Now select the effect layer from the layers pallete, take the Rectangular marquee tool and make a selection from the bottom of the text till about the center then Cut the selection that you've made:

Step 7:

You're almost done. Now press and hold 'CTRL" (Control button) and then click on the text layer from the layers pallete then create a new layer above the text and effect layers; Take the Gradient tool, press and hold the 'Shift' button and then apply a medium gradient effect from the top to the bottom of the text. Now, set the blending mode for both the effect layers to 'Overlay':

Designing a Calendar in Photoshop Tutorial

2008-02-29T17:10:00.018+02:00

This tutorial will show you how to create a fun looking calendar that can be used for a number of web applications.

Step 1:

Start by creating a circle using elliptical shape tool.

Step 2:

Press Shift and create a rectangle over the circle.Step 3:

Select direct selection tool, select both paths and click combine.

Step 4:

Create a small rounded rectangle.

Step 5:

Enable subtract from shape icon from the top bar and then create a pentagon using polygon tool.

Step 6:

Create some more duplicates and place them as shown. Adjust these shapes according to the days in a particular month you are creating the calender for.

Step 7:

Select the last shape using direct selection tool and stretch the right hand side nodes.

Step 8:

Except the last shape, merge all layers. Apply gradient over using following settings:

Step 9:

To the last shape apply gradient overlay using same settings.

Step 10:

Create a web shape using custom shape tool.

Step 11:

Change the layer mode to overlay and opacity to 20%.

Step 12:

Create a circle at the corner of the top bar. Fill the circle with white color.

Step 13:

Create a spiral using custom shape tool. Reduce opacity.

Step 14:

Add other details like month, year and dates etc. in the calendar.

Tutorial to Create a Pattern on Fabric in Photoshop

2008-02-22T15:06:00.014+02:00

Preview:Step 1:

Right, to start off, CRTL+N to open a new document. I’ve made it square and quite big (600×600). If you are final out put is for the web, then the resolution should be 72.

Step 2:

Our first job is to fill the canvas with 50% grey. We do this by hitting SHIFT+F5 and choosing ‘50% grey’ from the ‘Use’ menu.

Step 3:

Go Filter->Noise->Add Noise. This breaks up the smooth grey and gives us something to work with. You don’t need much, here I used just 5%.

Step 4:

Now for the good part. Go Filter->Texture->Texturizer. Here you can change lots of parameters like the texture to use, scale, relief and light. The best thing to do is experiment and use your eyes to see what you like.

Step 5:

Now that we have the basic fabric texture, we need to color it. CRTL+U to open the Hue/Saturation screen, check the ‘colorize’ button, and experiment by moving the sliders for Hue, Saturation and lightness. When you have found the color you like, click ok.

Step 6:

For the pattern, we are going to use a custom shape that will turn into a path. SHIFT+U to cycle through the different shape tools until you have the custom shape selected. At the top of the screen some options will appear. We need to select the ‘path’ option (second icon from the left). Now click the drop down menu next to ’shape’. There you will shape loads of different types of shape. Click the one you like.

Step 7:

Just before we draw the shape, CRTL+R to make sure the rulers are visible to the left and at the top of the canvas. Now there is a good chance that the layer will be locked (is there a black padlock next to it?). That’s no good for what we are about to do, so drag the layer on the layer panel down to the ‘Create new layer’ icon. Now we have two layers the same. Delete the bottom layer with the padlock. One the layer we have left, hit CRTL+T to activate transform mode (we couldn’t do this on a locked layer). You will see that there appears some handlebars around the image. Drag from the left ruler a guide line and position it over the center handlebars. Now do the same from the top ruler:

Step 8:

Now drag out your shape, holding the SHIFT key to maintain the aspect ratio. CRTL+T again and position the shape in the dead center:

Step 9:

Ok, that done, click the paths panel and CRTL+click the work path thumbnail to create a selection.

Step 10:

Now make a new layer and SHIFT+F5 and fill with 50% grey.

Step 11:

As before, CRTL+U to give it the color you desire.

Step 12:

Now here’s a good trick: change the blend mode to Overlay. This allows us to see through to the layer below:

Step 13:

To make the pattern repeat, hit ‘V’ for the move tool and ALT+drag the shape up to the top of the canvas. You will see you have created a new layer copy. CRTL+T to enter transform mode and position it like this:

Step 14:

Repeat for the bottom:

Step 15:

So now you have three flowers on three layers. Good. Make sure the top layer is selected in blue, then CRTL+E two times to merge the three layers into one. Now you can repeat the same copying and moving procedure. First to the right:

Step 16:

And then to the left. CRTL+E again to merge these new layers Now we have a pattern that will repeat itself.

Step 17:

Let’s add some more color. First, I have added more guide lines outlining the flowers. Then hit ‘M’ for the Marquee tool and drag it out to make a selection like this:

Step 18:

Go Selection->Transform Selection and from the options at the top of the screen reduce the height %.

Step 19:

Fill with 50% grey again and give it a color as before.

Step 20:

Here we have changed the blend mode to Overlay again. You can also see that I have merged the background fabric with the flowers.

Step 21:

As a last touch to the texture, go Filter->Blur->motion blur and give it these values:

Step 22:

And here’s the finished textile texture. What you can do now is go Edit->Define pattern and you will have it to use whenever you want, you just need to bring up the Fill screen and choose ‘pattern’ from the drop down menu, then look for your pattern. But let’s take this a bit further.

Step 23:

Did you know that you can use the clone tool and two open images at the same time? Here’s a very quick example. Open a photo you have of some kind of fabric. Hit ‘S’ to activate the clone tool and ALT click on the center of your texture. Now position your mouse cursor over the newly opened photo and paint wherever you want the texture to go. DON’T forget to first make a new layer on your photo!

Step 24:

As a last step, change the blend mode to ‘Soft Light’. There, a very easy way of creating textures in Photoshop and implementing them into your photos.

Separating Color Areas from Black and White Tutorial

2007-12-09T00:24:00.002+02:00

This tutorial is to help you learn how to make certain spots color after you have converted a color photo to black and white. Ok, after you have the picture that you want to work on, open it in photoshop:

1) Open a new Channel Mixer adjustment layer then click to check the box that says Monochrome to make the picture black and white.

2) Make sure you have Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer selected in the Layers menu.

3) Click on the Brush Tool (make sure the colors you are working with are black and white).
5) Using the color black, carefully brush over the parts of the picture that you want to be in color, (you may need to adjust brush sizes for the small details). When you do this the parts that you brush should turn back to color.

Shiny Orange Button Tutorial

2007-12-07T22:04:00.002+02:00

1) Make a new document sized 200x50 and fill it with any color. I chose a simple gray. Now make a new layer grab the rectangular marquee tool make a selection like below and fill it with any light color. I chose Orange:2) Go to Filter>Render>Lighthing Effect and use this settings:
This is what I got:
3) Now add a simple inner shadow:
You should have something like this:
4) Get a round simple 1 px brush and draw some lines like I did (hold shift to make them straight).Set blending mode to color dodge and lower the opacity to 70%.
5) Make a new layer and a selection like below filled white. Now lower the opacity to 12%.
6) Add a simple Drop Shadow:
7) Add your text and you are done. This is my result:

Colourful Flower Tutorial

2007-12-04T23:58:00.002+02:00

1) Open a new document, size doesn't matter ,with a white background.

2) Fill your background black.
(Ctrl + i)

3) Select white as your color and select the Line Tool.

4) Change your weight to 5px.5) Draw a line from the top left cornor the the bottom right corner. Make sure that your line is not longer than your image! Your line must be precisely from the one corner to the other!

6) Now draw a line from your top right corner to your bottom left corner.

7) Now draw two more lines like I did below (hold shift while you draw the lines)

Use your Move Tool to make all the lines cross at 1 point.

8) Go to Layer > Rasterize > All Layers

a) Right click the Shape 4 Layer and select Duplicate Layer...

b) Right click the Shape 3 Layer and select Duplicate Layer...

c) Right click the Shape 2 Layer and select Duplicate Layer...

d) Right click the Shape 1 Layer and select Duplicate Layer...

(just duplicate all layers)

9) Order your layers like this:

10) a) Select your Shape 4 Copy layer and press Ctrl + E 3 times.

b) Select your Shape 4 layer and press Ctrl + E 3 times.

11) Select your Shape 1 Copy layer and go to Filter > Distort > Twirland ;use following settings:Now you should have this:

12) Select your Shape 1 Layer and go to Filter > Distort > Twirl. This time use -90. You should now have a nice flower.

13) Right click your Shape 1 layer and click Blending options, use following settings:

14) Right click your Shape 1 Copy layer and click Blending options, use the same settings as above.

Congratulations, you got yourself a nice colourful flower