Innehållsförteckning för No. 70 från All About Space

Welcome ErlingurEinarssonEditor erlingur.einarsson@futurenet.com The Brush and Pen tools is often relegated to a mere utility for many Photoshop designers, and many tend to stick to two or three presets they rarely deviate from. However, we’re going to change all that. In our eight-page feature this issue (p14), we try to show you all the various ways you can use both tools, how they can work together and how they can help you take that artwork one step further towards masterpiece status. We’re also excited to bring you a plethora of tutorials, such as turning a frosty-looking wintery scene into a delicious dessert (p28), drawing an irresistibly adorable animal portrait (p46) and using PortraitPro in conjunction with Photoshop to make your portraits and headshots stand out (p66). We also have interviews…

READERS’ IMAGES Welcome to an inspirational round-up of great Photoshop artwork created by none other than your fellow readers MuriloFrancisco https://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/ Mumu0909 Image of the issue The tweaking and blending of the layers were key to the composition. I started with the background and then added the elements to create the seabed effect. I finished everything off with some more blending and adjustments. Anna Przybylska https://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/ zwyklaania I used just three images for this: the grass, the bench and the city at night. I used Blur filters and blend modes to finish my work, and I used Photoshop CS6 and a tablet to make it. NikolaMiljkovic https://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/ user/NKML Masking was key in placing the nebula into the mug, as well as for the steam coming from the liquid. The colours…

Tutorial Go into space using blend modes and masks Use blend modes and masks to form layer blends, add effects with filters and create atmosphere with colour fills On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with What you’ll learn Make spacey edits using blend modes, layer masks and adjustments Time taken 2 hours Expert Andre Villanueva Blend modes and masks are extremely helpful both in the nascent stages of composition and also when it comes to the endgame. I discovered Photoshop while studying web design. After graduating, I taught in media arts. I’m now an art director for a tech company, soothing my inner instructor by sharing my techniques with readers. Looking to introduce sci-fi splendour to your portraits? Need wondrous effects as final touches to…

Expert edit Set the details Create highlights 01 Use the Pen tool (P) to draw the shape of the highlight, activate the selection (Alt+Enter), paint it white (Alt+Del), disable the selection (Cmd/ Ctrl+D) and apply Gaussian Blur: 30px. Set the shadow 02 After you set the shadow’s perspective, change the blend mode to Multiply and make a gradient mask (step 4) with 20% opacity to blend it. Use the Smart Filter 03 After you merge the layers, go to the Filter menu and select Convert for Smart Filters. That way you can apply any filter without losing the original photo. Lens Flare 04 Create a new layer, set the foreground colour to black and paint (Alt+Del). Apply Filter> Render> Lens Flare), change blend mode to Screen and place it close…

Tutorial Create a text poster using guidelines Build a grid from scratch and fill it with text using selections, the Pen tool and layers On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with What you’ll learn How to create a vibrant text poster with perspective and shape Time taken 4 hours Expert Mark White There’s something satisfying about minimal work, and text posters tend to be as minimal as you can get: this project is just about the letters and the colours. Despite this, you can still really have a lot of fun getting creative with the text in this image. As senior staff writer on Photoshop Creative, I’ve learned all kinds of quick tips to help with even the most impressive-looking pictures. Creating a piece of…

Expert edit Create custom brushes Desaturate the image 01 Open ‘pix_2554944_wave.jpg’. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate, then press Shift+Cmd/Ctrl to desaturate. Open the Level (Cmd/Ctrl+L) and adjust the inputs to create a high-contrast image. Use Dodge/Burn tool 02 Use the Dodge/Burn tool to enhance shadows and highlights. Grab the Burn tool (O). In Options, set Range: Shadows, Exposure: 100% and start painting the dark areas. Brush tool 03 Grab the Dodge tool, tweak the Range and Exposure and paint the highlights. Use the Brush tool, set the foreground colour to black and paint over the unwanted areas. Save the brush 04 To save the custom brush, press Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert the image. Then go to Edit> Define Brush Preset. Name your new brush and click OK.…

Project focus Thinking inside of the box How Alisson Rochinski created a beautiful and futuristic piece of art, based on and inspired by the interface that he works in every day About the artist Alisson Rochinski https://www.behance.net/ rochinski @allrochinski Alisson Rochinski is 21 years old, lives in Umuarama, Paraná, Brazil, studies advertising at the Paranaense University (Unipar) and has worked as a graphic designer at the marketing agency Beagle Ship since he began to work in a photographic studio. Since then, he’s become even more passionate about graphic design and realised that this is the perfect career path for him. Name of the project Adobe Photoshop Redesign Concept Photoshop is usually a place that combines all of your artistic inspirations. But for Alisson Rochinski, Photoshop was the inspiration for his…

Advanced Enhance beauty shots with Portrait Pro Learn simple techniques on how to retouch portraits subtly and realistically with PortraitPro On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Time taken 1 hour Expert John Ross In this straightforward and easy-to-follow PortraitPro tutorial, you’ll learn how to fix skin blemishes, retouch spots, smooth out wrinkles and get rid of shine with the Clear Skin technology, all the while keeping the portrait’s natural texture. You can subtly alter facial aspects, utilise makeup controls, and even take control of the lighting in a photo after the shoot in real time. With 20 years of professional experience in the field, I educate photographers and retouchers by expanding their knowledge through my website www.TheArtofRetouching.com. You can also catch my comprehensive live classes in…

Creative project… Design a bottle label Learn how to make a fun and customised package Packaging design is all about reflecting the identity of your product. Here, we are taking a drink which we’ve named ‘Creative Juice’ and using that as inspiration to design an appropriately themed label. In this tutorial we will show you how to create this bold and vibrant bottle label, with some great colour and layout techniques for making the design stand out and convey the sense of fun and energy of the product. You’ll learn about using guides to create a bleed, how to warp fonts to generate a simple logo from your product name, and we will also be transforming and rotating design elements, then applying layer masks generated from selections to create a…

Take it further Other colour effects Get similar effects with different tools Cross Process 01 If you apply the Cross Process filter to black-and-white pictures, you can create cool split-tone effects. Insert a desaturated Hue/Saturation adjustment in Expert mode, then go to Quick Mode. Apply Cross Process from the options available. Gradient Map 02 The Gradient Map adjustment layer is the easiest way to add colour across your image. Choose two colour stoppers to relay the colour across. Keep this as it is for a duotone effect, or switch blend modes for more of a filter finish. Split Tone 03 Similar to the Cross Process filter, Split Tone is in the Quick Mode menu and applies colour to the light and dark tones. It’s a subtler alternative to the Cross…

Portfolio interview A retouch of class How Jeffrey Vanhoutte was inspired by photography aged 11, and still gets by with a little help from his collaborators All images © Jeffrey Vanhoutte If Jeffrey Vanhoutte’s work looks natural to you, that’s the point. The Belgium-based photographer works with a conveyor belt of experts when it comes to producing his images, but the key is always in the natural feel. We caught up with him to discover what it takes to retouch photos so smoothly. Have you always been into photography, Jeffrey? By the age of 11, I already knew I wanted to be a photographer. Photography was my father’s hobby, and I was able to borrow his camera during a school trip. My father made an enlargement of one of the…

Free with your magazine Instant access to these incredible free gifts… New brushes Choose from 40 Acid Wash brushes for the exact effect you want. Klaxons font Use the free Klaxons typeset for your poster or text-based artwork. Tutorial files Many of our tutorial have assets included for free on the FileSilo. On the FileSilo this issue… • 180 Acid Wash brushes • 50 Paint Splatter brushes • 70 High-Res Watercolour brushes • 8 Star Filters Pro actions • Klaxons free font • A total of 309 new resources Register to get instant access to this pack of must-have creative resources, how-to videos and tutorial assets Log in to www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Free for digital readers too! Read on your tablet, download on your computer The home of great downloads – exclusive…

READERS’ CHALLENGE Upload your images to photoshopcreative.co.uk We challenged you In Issue 156, we challenged you to get creative with these four images. You were allowed to use any or all of the pictures, and whatever other resources you chose. Here’s what you created. Challenge entries The best entries and overall challenge winner 1 Pamela Woest Particles In The Wind This is a double exposure with a twist. The trees form a pixel dispersion effect, and the particles in the phone photo are part of the composition. 2 Adrian Chorlton The Magic Of Colour I’ve used all four images to produce this composite showing the spectrum of ideas from books. There’s a range of blend modes, gradients and of course, many layers. It was fun to produce! 3 Alexandre Perez…

Expert edit Finalise in CC Apply Camera Raw 01 Merge layers, convert to Smart Object. Go to Filter> Camera Raw Filter. Under Basic, increase Shadows and Blacks. Increase Clarity to boost midtones. Reduce noise 02 Under Detail, leave sharpening alone since you sharpened with High Pass. Do play with Luminance to smooth out some of the noise. Adjust Effects settings 03 Under Effects, you can try increasing Dehaze slightly by sliding a tiny bit rightward. Slide Post Crop Vignetting’s Amount slider leftward to darken the edges. Click OK when done. Apply Lens Flare filter 04 Go to Filter> Render> Lens Flare. Click in the mini-image to position. Adjust Brightness, choose a Lens Type. Click OK. Add one or two more. Paint black in the filter mask to reduce effects.…

Expert tip Edit with Quick Mask When you work with many photos and have to place them into the same scene, it’s necessary to make colour corrections. You can use the adjustment layers, but you also can use the Quick Mask. In the spoon layer, for example, to set up a Quick Mask all you have to do is press Q, use the Brush tool (B), paint the part you want to correct, press Q again, invert the selection (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I) and apply the adjustment tool you want, for example Brightness/ Contrast set to 26, 38.…

Expert tip Combine images In step 10, after you duplicate and flip the wave, you can add another image on top of that to add more details, creating a different picture. To do that, you need to clip the layers and use a layer mask. Place the image ‘pix_2193838_wave1. jpg’ on top of the original wave. Press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ Alt+G to clip the layers. Now, resize the image and use the Warp Tool to make it fit. Add a layer mask and use a soft Brush to paint on the layer, carefully blending the images.…

Fenrir How Fenrir, the monstrous wolf of Norse mythology, was turned into an apparel brand The artists Theoretical Part Theoretical Part is the creative union of two illustrators, Boris and Daria Sokolovsky. We specialise in ink drawings and illustrations for books, apparel and musical albums. The ww main th themes elpro we ite work com with @thepixelpro are mythology it s and occultism, fantasy, folklore and history. Originally almost all of our works are drawn by hand and then edited and/or coloured in Photoshop. You can find more works at our website: www.theoreticalpart.com Essentials Time taken 5 hours “Initially we planned to depict the whole wolf figure, but in order not to make the details too small, we settled on a variant with a large sun and a large muzzle,”…

Advanced Transform a portrait in the style of the Renaissance Combine photos to build up a Renaissance scene and make adjustments to achieve a painterly effect On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Time taken 1-2 hours Expert Vicki-Lea Boulter I love giving traditional styles a modern twist, which is what I’ve done here using a Renaissance style. I am a creative portrait photographer. I make images of women, children and animals, which reflect their personalities through creative storytelling. In all my images I use Photoshop to layer my art, photographs and other mediums, fusing several ideas in order to create one concept. Renaissance art is regarded as the creative bridge between the 14th and 17th century, when creative styles crossed over from the middle ages to…

Expert tip Experiment and learn There are many sub-items in all of the various panel controls, so feel free to experiment and see what works best. The only way you will fully get the hang of the software is to keep trying and keep making mistakes. Each sub-item will use different settings, but as always, be careful not to go overboard with your effects. Finally, as with anything, you should always be prepared for crashes, which is why saving your work and saving it often is a crucial habit to get in to.…

Photo edit… Create duotone images Use the power of just two colours to enhance your pictures GREEN Choose a bright, exciting colour for your background, such as this bold green, to really fill the boring white with vibrance. BLUE Go with a complementary colour for the other half of the duotone; the blue segues really nicely into the green here. Sometimes simplicity is the most striking thing about a picture. When it comes to duotone pictures, splitting a photo into two distinctive colours can be not just striking, but transformative. That’s great to hear, right? Not just for your creative side, but also for your workflow; if creating something that looks great takes ten minutes rather than ten hours, even better! Some would say that the goal with art is…

App tutorial Choose palettes with Adobe Capture Choose palettes with Adobe Capture Use your phone to pick colours for your work Essentials Works with What you’ll learn How to capture a set of colour swatches in the Adobe Capture app Time taken 1 hour Expert Turning a daytime shot of this girl into what looks like a bright, UV party is really easy. By using the Capture app, I can take the vibe from anywhere I go, and save it in my pocket! As Senior Staff Writer on Photoshop Creative, I’ve learned all kinds of quick tips to help with even the most impressive-looking pictures. It’s strange to imagine, in 2017, that there was a time before we had the power of a smartphone. If you wanted to message someone,…

APP Escape Motions Inspirit Create kaleidoscopic art with this mesmerising app Price £0.99 / $0.99 US Web https://www.escapemotions.com/ For many, art is something to do to relax and unwind, and not have to think about too much. Relaxation is the thinking behind Escape Motions’ Inspirit app. The team have previously produced creative digital art apps such as Rebelle and Flame Painter, and this is the first foray that they’ve made into mobile technology. Inspirit combines simple colour, brush and pattern tools to construct kaleidoscope-style artwork. The app is easy to use and there are plenty of options for building designs from scratch. Whether you’re an artist looking to create a psychedelic pattern, or you just want to experiment and have fun, Inspirit is an enjoyable and calming app with scope…

ArtSuite options Different frames to finish off an image Artistic Crop 01 This option is great for adding onto photos; it’s elegant and classy, and you can choose your own colour overlay when you add it. Artistic frame 02 Another classy option for photos, the artistic frames are subtle and stylish, making them great for adding to pictures on social media. Pattern 03 Not the most subtle on offer in ArtSuite, but it’s an option if you’re creating a holiday card or you just want to outline your image. Frost 04 A frosted frame doesn’t just have to be used in a snowy image. The pattern works for any photo and produces a lovely speckled effect. Ragged frame 05 This can really focus your photo without looking too over-the-top. You…

Reader interview Manon Moreau We caught up with Manon Moreau to learn how Photoshop can enhance the symbolism in your work “I am passionate about the creation of dreamlike, poetic or fantastical universes,” says Manon Moreau, who taught herself Photoshop. “I am also very interested in everything related to the legends and the symbolism of things.” Since Manon first started using Photoshop in 2012, she’s discovered a growing passion for illustration. We asked her about symbolism, her favourite tools, and the meanings in her work. Why is symbolism important? Each colour or animal, in its symbolism, often carries a particular message. Depending on the message I want to give, some insects or colours mean different things; orange colourings for light, or dark blues for animals, butterflies, etc. Do you include…

The Making of Abyssal How Manon Moreau created her atmospheric deep-sea artwork Working in grey I began by creating a grid (rule of thirds) and arranged my elements for harmonious proportions. I kept to using shades of grey so that I could stay focused on the layout. Beginning the painting Once the elements were well arranged, I began to paint in shades of grey, with a square and textured brush, in order to give more texture and material to my illustration. Colouring the piece When I was satisfied with my painting, I added a Gradient Map to colour my picture. I remove or add colours to the gradient until I like the global colours. Working on details I finished my illustration by working on the details. I added light particles…

CREATE ART WITH THE PEN & BRUSH TOOLS CREATE ART WITH THE PEN & BRUSH TOOLS Whether you’re seeking clean precision or quirky expression, harness the power of Photoshop’s digital art tools “Bring the Brush and the Pen to your workflow in perfect synergy” STROKING PATHS Select a brush style, and when you’ve created a path, Ctrl/right-click it and choose Stroke Path to draw it. USE THE GRID Hit Cmd/Ctrl+U to bring up the grid; this is great for creating precise Pen tool work, such as the geometric background in this piece. BLEND MODES Make bigger brush strokes on new layers and vary the blend mode to discover some interesting effects in your paintings. SELECTING COLOURS While using the Brush tool, Alt/ Opt-click to select colours ready to brush. This…

Tutorial Create an ice-cream landscape Time to improve your mask skills, as we put them to work in concocting this surreal composition On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with What you’ll learn How to transform an icy landscape scene to look like ice cream in a bowl Time taken 5 hours Expert Rodrigo Marinelli It’s always fun using Photoshop to create a scene that mixes two completely different situations together. This is an excellent exercise because it makes you think about a new scene where anything is possible. I’m an art director and have 12 years experience working at advertising agencies. I learned and am still learning to use Photoshop through following tutorials. In every new artwork you are about to start, it’s very important…

Tutorial Create a cute animal painting Build a digital painting from the sketch to the final flicks and learn about the importance of colour and flourishes Essentials Works with What you’ll learn How to create a digital painting and master the colours and tones Time taken 2 hours Expert Guilherme Asthma I like pictures with personality. I usually make an organic sketch, with expressiveness. For me, colours are important to create the climate, blend the sensations, and I believe that everything you do in Photoshop contributes to tell a good story, or communicate whatever it wants. I’m a freelance character artist from São Paulo, and Photoshop is my main tool for creating and developing ideas. Though we tend to think of layers as being a feature most often used for…

Tutorial Explore layer masks Jump into layer masks and discover how to manipulate stock photos to create an inspiring portrait effect On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo.co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with What you’ll learn Control layer masks, use the Liquify filter, and create precise selections Time taken 3 hours Expert Simon Skellon I love putting the Liquify filter through its paces, and this technique is a great way to use it. Adding masks to the filter is enjoyable and gives lots of creative possibilities. I’ve been working with Photoshop for as long as I can remember, but my techniques are constantly changing as I learn new tools and try out new effects. Layer masks are at the heart of every composition, great or small. They are what makes…

Expert tip Making adjustments to the face A really good technique for editing the model’s face is the Frequency Separation method. This basically means separating the textures from the colours, which enables you to work on either area independently, without affecting the other. A very quick and easy way to do this is to make copy layers of your image. Place the first layer on top of your image and call it Colours. Place the second layer on top of Colours and call it Textures. Now blur the Colours layer using the Gaussian Blur filter so that you can just make out the face. Now, with the Textures layer selected, go to Image> Apply Image, and set the Layer to Colour, change the blending mode to Subtract, change the Scale…

Expert edit Pro skin retouching Paint sparingly 01 It’s easy to go too far with the Touch Up tool and end up with fake and overworked skin. Only brush in skin-damaged areas. Skin texture 02 The Texture and Skin Texture Type options inside Skin Smoothing Controls are global settings. You can change the actual skin pattern with the pull-down menu. Create skin varieties 03 The default ‘Img0087’ is satisfactory, but there are a variety of skin types in real life, so having only one texture to choose from for all of your skin is problematic. Retouch with control 04 Avoid flat skin texture by using Touch Up only on the specific parts of your image that need fixing, and by reducing the brush Strength setting.…

Other Modify tools The other features on offer in the Modify section of the menu Content-Aware Move The Content-Aware Move tool is great for moving objects in your pictures to other places, without having to tidy up after you’ve moved them. Simply make a selection of something in your image, and drag it to somewhere else in the picture; the tool will then replace the pixels left with other pixels from elsewhere in the photo. Cookie Cutter The Cookie Cutter tool works in a similar way to the Crop Tool, in that it cuts your image to make it smaller; the only difference is that the Cookie Cutter, as the name may suggest, cuts your image into a specific shape of your choice. Simply choose a shape in the bottom…