PhotoShop Practice

One technique I've always liked is highlighting certain areas of interest in a pic by converting the surrounding background to black 'n white.

A few summers ago I shot this pic of an unusual twisted tree root on a walking trail along the Niagara escarpment. But the surrounding trees were roughly the same color, and the tree root blended in too much. So I converted the background to B&W (and darkened a bit) and left the root original color.

 

Thanks Sid, I'm trying out all the stuff you have, this is my first.

 

very cool.
i have pics of girls that would look great as sigs, but it's too messy. this would be the solution to it! thanks..

 

looks great p4. especially the second half, it looks really worn.

 

Read the tut ... some remarks:
1. After flipping the text/image its IMO better and smoother to apply a gradient (for ex. black to white or black to transparent) with the gradient tool. Open a new layer (name it gradient) and draw your gradient (in this example from bottom to top or someway in between).
2. Now you'll see the gradient fills the whole image; just right click the gradient layer and select "create clipping mask" . Now the gradient will only affect the underlying layer (text layer).
So there's no need to cut/erase half of the flipped image/text and lowering the opacity.
The transition is much smoother and since it's a seperate layer you can play with blend modes and all to refine. You can even apply a second gradient (as a new layer) and turn it to clipping mask on the first gradient layer to perfect it further.

Also, after flipping the text, right click on the flipped text layer and select "rasterize". Then go to edit-transform and you choose "perspective, distort or warp" to give the flipped text a real feel of a shadow cast.
Warping can even help you ripple the text as it where reflected on water...

or dunes



Just a quick and rough example.

 

I might actually use this

 

[img[http://img43.imagevenue.com/loc406/th_05217_Irish_Sid_07_copy_123_406lo.jpg[/img]

i really love the dune effect. did you create that? and i understand what you mean now. Thanks.



looks great! i couldn't grt rid of the bottom half of my reflection. i think i know how to now, but that's way cool.

 

Never used photoshop , i'd like to give it a go sometime.
You guys do some really cool stuff ,thanks for the pics Sid

 

Yep, only worked with this image.

Resized it and erased a bit. Overlayed it with a gradient (dark blue to blue) on the full sized background.
Added lighting on another layer.
Text layer (Irish Sid), rasterized it and then warped to deform.
Copy text layer (x3), flipped them and warped.
The rest is hard to explain really. I used some 12 layers overall to refine the cast/shadow/light on the dunes and text.
Mostly gradients (blue to blue and black to transparent) as clipping masks, some partially blurred and using different blending modes (color/luminosity/soft light) and fill/opacity.
The underlaying example differs a bit from the previous posted 'cause I changed the opacity/fill on a dunes layer, showing the light/glow a bit more.

Basically you draw (in a new layer) a gradient (black to white or black to transparent) from the bottom up to the beginning of your reflected lettering and create a clipping mask so it only affects the reflected lettering.
You can also use matching colors for the gradients and/or play with the blending modes and opacity/fill.
Another handy trick I apply is to make my own gradients. I start a new document which is roughly double the size and fill several layers with different gradients.
This way I can paste them over the image I'm working on and move them up/down, sideways or even rotate them to match what I want.
Even use distortion filters like ripple and so or motion blur and/or warping them.
Right click them to create clipping mask and/or change blend mode and opacity/fill.

 

Been playing with this polaroid effect and thought I'd show off one of my test subjects

 

A couple of variations for ya'...

​

 

Excellent job SK!

 

i need to start using some of my tuts again. i've gotten a bit lazy since my hols.

and i love them sk, espesh the second one.

 

I was bored and decided to fiddle around with Photoshop, tell me what you guys think.

 

Following this Tutorial: http://www.webdesign.org/web/photoshop/text-effects/hell-text.15850.html

 

A friendly critique...

I like the vanishing perspective and curvature, but you need to be a little more precise with the red gravel areas - the color bleeds into the green woods in the distance, and sloppy along the (gray) railroad tracks on each side.

 

Sorry, I dont see an image.

 

just messing around. I need to learn how to make some nice fonts and better backgrounds

 

Certainly a great start Donny, I can see you have an eye for composition!

 

Thanks gbtg. It's been awhile since I flexed any creative muscle like this but it seemed cool and I wanted to try it out. I guess the photography and art classes I took way back in the day paid off a bit.