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Creating a Graphic Step by Step  |
This is a small version of the original image that Hemali emailed to me at 2.5 MB. I try to use images that are a minimum of 1.5 MB or higher because Photoshop filters and effects need a certain amount of high resolution pixels to work with, otherwise the effects appear less refined. I later reduced the image to about 25% to upload onto Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/galefraney/ Another reason for working on larger image sizes is that it is much easier to see what I'm doing when making delicate selections, masking, etc. When viewing an image in Photoshop, unless in vector format, pixels become distorted unless viewed at 100%, 50%, 25% 12.5%. Whenever making any important decision on an image, I always view at one of these percentages. Conversely, if an image is viewed at a percentage such as 33%, there will be some distortion of the image on the screen. Step 1 I began by opening the original image of Hemali in Photoshop, then duplicated it so that it was now on its own separate layer (in order to be able to extract Hemali from the surrounding portions of the image). I then temporarily made the 'Hemali' layer invisible by clicking on the eyeball icon to the left of the Hemali layer in the Layers Palette. |
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Step 2 I then started playing with several background images, an image of water, another of waves, one of sky, another of a boat. I began combining these by opening each in Photoshop. The Blending Modes option can be found at the top of your Layers Palette. I usually highlight a Blending Mode, then press the Arrow Down or Arrow Up keys to scroll through each Blending Mode quickly. I also sometimes duplicate a layer, then try using Blending Modes to superimpose a layer over top of itself. This often creates very intense or moody colors and lighting. This takes a bit of time and experimentation, which is well worth the effort because this is what creates the initial mood that will give you inspiration and spur you on throughout the rest of the graphic steps. I also immediately added Masks to each layer and began masking out portions that I don't want showing. For example, on one layer I isolated just one tree, on another layer kept only the sky, on another kept only the ship, on another just the rocks. Several images were used to create the background you see in the graphic to your left. (To learn more about using Masks, please refer to Mask Tutorial). Important Tip You may have several photoshop files open at the same time and can just drag and drop your image from one file into another. To do this, go to the Main Toolbox and select the Move Tool or press V on your keyboard. Click and drag the imageinto the main graphic.if you want the image to come directly into the centre, press the Shift key as you drag. This will place the incoming image directly on centre, which is known as "registering". All incoming images are automatically placed on their own individual layers, which makes it convenient to immediatley begin playing with various Blending Modes and Masking to see how the images fit together and interact with eachother. |
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Step 3 I then began to 'extract' Hemali from her background. I chose the Lasso Tool from the Main Toolbox (or press L on the keyboard) to make a very quick and rough selection around her body, leaving some extra image around the edges of her body that I will later Mask away. When using the Lasso Tool, just make a quick circle around her body, which should take not more than a few seconds to complete. After completing your selection, if you realize you've missed a spot, don't worry. You can add to your selection by pressing Shift while lassoing the area that you missed. Or, if you wish to subtract from your selection, press Alt (Opt) as you drag with the Lasso tool, which will remove portions from your selection. After making the loose selection I then go to Layer / New / Layer Via Cut, and Hemali is then placed on a brand new layer. I then delete the layer that she was cut from. Then I add a Mask to the Hemali layer. To add a Mask, go to your Layers Palette and click on the little circle inside a square box icon that is located at the very bottom of the Layers Palette. This adds a Layer Mask which you can begin painting on with the color black in order to cleanly extract Hemali from her background. I usually zoom into 100% view to do this in order to make accurate brush strokes. I also choose a soft edged paintbrush, but as I get closer and closer to the edges , I sometimes harden the brush ever so slightly by pressing Shift / Right Bracket on my keyboard. (I only harden by one level from the softest brush, and normally I always work with only the softest setting) Press Shift / Left Bracket to soften the edges of your paintbrush. I constantly change the brush size, softness or hardness, and switch between black and white while painting as I go without stopping what I'm doing. This saves enormous amounts of time. Without these shortcuts, the task would be far more arduous.
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Review Important tips Soften or Harden Brush Tip Press Shift / Left Bracket to soften the brush you have selected. Alternately, press Shift / Right Bracket to create a harder edged brush. You must have the Paintbrush Tool selected in order for this shortcut to work. Increase or Decrease Brush Tip To Decrease the size of the brush tip, press Left Bracket while Right Bracket increases the size of your brush. (again Paintbrush Tool must be selected for this to work). Change Foreground, Background Colors Pressing the letter X changes the paint color from white to black repeatedly back and forth. Creating Straight Line To make a straight line with the paint brush Click on the image then put the brush at another location and press Shift / Click. This creates a completely straight line, which is extremely useful when painting out edges of an image while in Mask mode, or when painting in general, or when using the Eraser Tool. This is one of the most useful tips I discovered and I use it for many different purposes. Returning to Default Colors Pressing the letter D on your keyboard returns the colors in your main Toolbox back to the default colors of black and white. When you need to paint on a Mask, just press D and the colors will automatically revert to black and white. Step 4 Now I decide to change the shape of Hemali's blouse. However, the Hemali layer had a Mask applied to it, which would have required a lot of RAM if loaded into a filter. Here is a little tip I've devised: Then I merge the 2 linked layers of Hemali by using the fly out menu on the Layers Palette and choosing Merge Linked). This gets rid of the Mask while retaining all the masked areas of the image. Keep in mind that the Masking you did is now permanent and cannot be altered. I was now able to go into the Liquify Filter and make the edge of her blouse appear to have frills. I also adjusted her waist line and breasts slightly. In addition, I made very subtle changes to her jawline and nose, to give a more timeless and ethereal appearance. I use the Zoom tool within the Liquify Filter to hone in on the areas I am changing to ensure the changes appear accurate. |
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Step 5 I then noticed that the original Hemali shot was taken at an angle which makes the legs appear too small for her upper torso. So I made the legs appear longer by going to Edit / Transform / Distort, and I played with the distort frame until I stretched it in such a way that the legs began to appear longer without distorting the upper portion of her body. Important Tip: Whenever resizing, rotating, distorting, flipping horizontal, etc., try to do all the processes at the same time before pressing "Enter". The reason for this is that each time a change is made, the image quality degrades slightly. It is better to rotate, resize, distort all at the same time so that you are only pressing "Enter" one time, and therefore reducing the number of times an object quality is reduced. (I hope this explanation makes sense) Also, remember to save your PSD file frequently in case Photoshop freezes due to insufficient RAM on your computer. If you make a mistake and wish to revert to a previous state of your graphic project. |
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Step 6 I now decide that the boat is too large and should appear as though it is off in the distance. So I resize it and move it onto the horizon. I also add a Mask to the boat layer and mask the bottom edge of the boat to make it look as though it is submerged in the water. I also decide that I do not like the appearance of the branches on the tree, so I Mask them out of the tree layer. I also Mask away the mountain which appears distracting behind Hemali's back. I then add a layer of rocks to the foreground to give an indication of a shoreline.
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