Photoshop Retouch 02 2009

welcome The Secrets Revealed It is amazing thing when we start looking for the new challenges or ideas, suddenly it is really hard to find them. It seems that they are hidden out of our perception. I don’t know but perhaps you were in such situation that you want to retouch or restore your photo and your mind was a blank and there was no idea how to do that. I think it happens each of us or it happened at least once. We all want to avoid such situation and have always the new and fresh ideas how to overcome the obstacles and find the solutions for all difficult and complicated tasks. I think that such situation can be caused by boredom or by lack of inspiration coming from the new external stimulus. Sometimes, it seems that all techniques are old and useless but it is not true. The new ideas exist and it is enough to see them and use. We want to show you what has been perhaps hidden so far for you. I hope that our magazine helps you to do that and supports you in your every day tasks. It was our aim to create the next issue that can present you the modern retouching techniques. Our cover tutorial Underwater Love written by Erik Bont ( p. 6 ) has the widest appeal potentially and that it is also somewhat harder hitting.As always in our Beauty Retouch section you will find useful tips and tricks on how to get the countess look as well as how to enhance an image changing almost everything within it without it looking fake or overly photoshoped ( p. 14 ). Creative Class with BrandNu will quide through amazing tutorial on how to simulate lights, glows and burns. Our friend Ceren Aksungur in his article titled Snowdoll – Reforming an Image by using Liquify will give you a good feedback and fresh ideas for you further task. Moreover, if you have any ideas for topics that you would like to see us cover in upcoming issues, please let us know. You can always write to us at [email protected] Thank you for your support,

contents cover

Underwater love Erik Bont

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beauty retouch The Illusion of Beauty Kasam Shaffi

Reptile Eric Bont

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creative class Funkagenda Radim Malinic / BrandNu

Lights Photoshop Action Krist Adams

The Eye Shelby Lynn R.

Brian Grant

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Fabiano Uesler / Silvana Rudolf

From the past Francisco Marambio

Colorization of a Black and White Photograph Arturo Ayala

Creating a Fantasy Portrait Timothy Lanz

Creating a pseudo HDR from one JPG D.T. Stephenson

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tips and tricks The Eyes have it Hal Schmitt

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software review Lightbox 40

Chetankumar Akarte

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Pageflip

photo restoring Restoring the past

Snowdoll- Reforming an image by using liquify Ceren Aksungur 64

workshop

typography Celest

photomanipulation

Chetankumar Akarte

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interview with Interview with Rob Shields Marta Kobus

Interview with Radim / BrandNu Roshan Abraham

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94 Image designed by Rob Shields

Underwater

Love

I took this shot in a studio of a famous hairdresser, for the Austrian Hairdressing Award 2007. As Background we used a violet drapery. The model was exposed with one Flash-Light (500 Watt from Richter Studio equipment) from the front. For the Photo I used a Canon 1Ds Mark III.

advanced | 60 min. adobe photoshop CS3

underwater love

01

Background

Original Picture (out of the box).

02

Curves

Here I optimized the Contrast of the Picture with the Gradiation Curves (higher mid-tones and darker low-tones).

03

Burn and dodge

Here I darkened the background with the burn tool, and highlighted the model with the dodge tool, to set the contrast between background and model more extreme. Today I know: the better alternative is to use the adjustment layers with the curves instead of the dodge and burn tool! 02/2009

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cover

04

Colors

On this layer I upgraded the colors with the selective Color tool (disloged some yellow and putted some red on it).

05

Exposure

Here I used the Exposure tool (+1,10) to get more exposure in the picture.

06

Curves 2 and color balance

Here I optimized the Contrast of the picture with the Gradiation Curves again. I also used the color Balance tool to give the picture less magenta and more green and blue-tones. In the end this gives you the underwater-effect. 8

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underwater love

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Saturation

On this layer I used the Hue saturation tool. The Saturation was taken out of the pictures with -5 to give the picture a smooth touch.

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Skin retouch

On this layer I did the retouch of the skin, even with the Patch tool and the Healing Brush tool. I also lightened up the forehead and the eyes with the Dodge tool, to get a powder effect.

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Eyebrows

Here I darkened the eyebrows with the Burn tool. 02/2009

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Eyes

Here I darkened the eyes with the Burn tool to get more contrast.

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Liquify

On this layer I used the Liquify tool to advance the form of her head, the hairs and little things in her face.

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Lens Flares

Here I made some lightning effects in the butterflies. I used the menu Filter>Render>Lens flare with the 105mm prime lens flare about 10% strong. The layer was double-copied before I did that and I used the filter on the second layer. After that I rubbered out the first layer on the points where the lighting effects should be. After that I merged the layers. 10

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underwater love

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Retouch of the shoulder

Here I adjusted her shoulder because of her skin with the Patch tool.

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Saturation 2

On this layer I used the Hue Saturation tool again. The Saturation was taken out of the pictures with – 10 to give the picture a smooth touch.

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Selective Colors

On this layer I upgraded the colors with the selective Color tool (putted some more red on it). 02/2009

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cover

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Curves and Fill-Options

I optimized the Contrast of the picture with the Gradiation Curves again. Also I did some blending options for the pictures (right mouse click on the Picture>Blending options>Satin>Blend mode: soft light, opacity 10%, color #030000).

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Retouch body

I retouched her skin again to retouche some errors of her skin which I just saw now, after the adjustment of the whole layers. I used the Healing Brush tool to do this. I also used the clone stamp a little bit on her shirt.

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Sharpen

On this layer I used the sharpen-filter with the function Filter>Sharpen>Unsharpen mask>Amount 50 %, radius 3, treshold 3. (the values depend on the camera you use. For many cameras this values are too strong. Just try for yourself for having a good sharpness). by Eric Bont 12

02/2009

The Illusion of

Beauty

Through this tutorial i will guide you through the art of Beauty retouching. I will be using Adobe Photoshop; most popular application as it offeres a selection of tools for airbrushing, smoothining skin hair, enhancing make-up colour and altering body proporations to create the optimum vision of beauty. Having some experience with using Photoshop you will be able to fine tune your retouching skills and learn some basics and quickly produce very impressive and beautiful results. Beauty retouching is the industrys best kept secret and in this tuturial I will reveal all. I will show you how to enhance an image, changing almost everything within it without it looking fake or overly ‘photoshoped’. medium | 1-2.h adobe photoshop

the illusion of beauty

01

STEP 1

I copied the original layer, adjusted the saturation to +45 and the hue to +13 and used the selective color tool to change the black to +35 to give the image a shaper look.

02

STEP 2

I then cleaned up skin using the clone stamp with the opacity level set to 30. I also neatened the shape of the eyebrows using the clone stamp again, but with a smaller brush size and higher opacity. I concentrated on any blemishes and dark patches under the eyes etc.

03

STEP 3

I duplicated the last layer and cut out everything except the face. I then adjusted the color levels to create a magenta tone (blusher), using the eraser with soft edges. I erased the magenta tone of the forehead, nose chin and eyes etc., leaving it on the cheekbones leading softy and faintly towards the eyebrow area. 02/2009

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beauty retouch

04 STEP 4

I created another duplicate layer of the full face and adjusted the colors to create a pink/ magenta color, this time erase leaving the color on the lips and around the eyes. I then adjusted the color under the eyes to purple by changing its hue. Then using the paintbrush tool, I selected white and softly highlighted under the eyebrows, erasing any white on the actual eyebrow. Now, I used the elliptical marquee tool create a small circle roughly to the size of an eyelash. Using a soft black paintbrush. I used the outline of the elliptical marquee to create an individual eyelash. I changed the position of the elliptical marquee for each eyelash and also changing the shape and size to what suited the eye.

05

STEP 5

I created a duplicated layer of the background and selected the eye area using the rectangular marquee tool. I then inverted it, deleting everything else. Now, I de-selected and adjusted the curves so that the input was 80 and the output was 156 roughly. I adjusted the hue so that the eye becomes blue and then using a soft eraser I erased around the eye. I then duplicated this layer and adjust the blue eye color so that it was a yellow/brown color. Again I erased the edges so that the yellow/ brown color that sits within the blue of the eye.

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STEP 6

I duplicated the last layer and adjusted the saturation to - 50 creating a more gray scaled feel to it. Using the soft brush eraser, I erased everything except the fur coat thus equalizing the different shades of brown on the fur, creating a more frosty gray. 16

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the illusion of beauty

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STEP 7

I then copy merged the whole image and pasted creating a new layer. On this layer I adjusted the color balance to create a more Autumn style background. I adjusted the color balance using more yellow and red. I then used the selective color tool under adjustments in Photoshop and changed the level of yellow in the picture, reducing the Cyans and increasing the Magenta to get rid of any existing green from the background tree foliage. I then cut out the model leaving only the background, with the previous layers viable underneath.

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beauty retouch

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STEP 8

Using the rectangular marquee tool I copied the right hand side of the model's hair. I then pasted this in a new layer, after which I used the transform tool to flip it horizontally. I then rotated it until it placed well within the left side of the models hair after which I used the soft brush eraser to erase the excess that did not fit within the contours of the hair line and shape.

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STEP 9

I copy merged all layers, then pasted. Now using the paintbrush tool select white, brush size 6. I drew a vertical line in the thumbnail of the model staying well within the edges of the nail. I then used the clone stamp on 30% opacity to blend the white line within the nail. This created a highlighted shine on the nail making it appear more polished.

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STEP 10

I used the lens flare tool (Filter-render-lens flare). I adjusted the brightness to 123% and the lens type I selected was: 50-300mm zoom. I placed this 'flare' in the top left hand side of the image in the trees to give the illusion of a bright sun. by Kasam Shaffi 18

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Reptile

I took this shot in my studio for a test shot in the year 2008. As Background we used a standard-background (paper) for photography. The model was exposed with one Flash-Light with beauty-dish (500 Watt from Richter Studioequipment) from the front and as headlight also one Flash-Light with a beauty dish (500 Watt from Richter Studioequipment). For the Photo I used a Canon 1Ds Mark III. beginner | 1h. adobe photoshop CS3

reptile

01

Background

On this layer I did the retouche of the skin, even with the Patch tool and the Healing brush tool. I also sharpened the picture with filter / sharpen / unsharpen mask 50% / 3 / 3 and did the liquify-part with the liquify tool.

02

Curves 1

Here I optimized the brightness of the picture with the Gradiation Curves (higher mid-tones).

03

Exposure

In this step I used the Exposure tool (exposure +0,07 / gamma 0,92) to get a better exposure to the picture and get a little more contrast. 02/2009

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beauty retouch

04

Curves 2

Here I optimized some parts of the face and the eyes with the curves. I used an adjustment layer with color black, and painted with the brush the parts white, I wanted to have lightened up.

05

Hue/Saturation 1

On this layer I used the Hue saturation tool. The Saturation was taken out of the whole picture with - 30 to give the colors a smooth touch.

06

Hue/Saturation 2

On this layer I used the Hue saturation tool to give the eyes and the snake-skin on her cheek a more colorful look. I used the master saturatin with + 40 and painted the parts out I wanted to have like I did with the adjustment layer on curves 2. 22

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reptile

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Curves 3

Here I optimized some parts of the face and her neck with the curves with shadows. I used an adjustment layer with color black, and painted with the brush the parts white, I wanted to make them darker this time.

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Curves 4

In this step, I used the same function as in curves 3, but this time on the background to get grey color of the background more dark.

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Curves 5

In this part I made only the white in the eyes more bright with the curves-tool. I used an adjustment layer with color black, and painted with the brush the parts white, I wanted to have lightened up, in this case it was only the eyes. By Erik Bont 02/2009

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Funkagenda

Did you ever think before to use Adobe Photoshop to create sound? It may not be too clear how pixel pushing application could serve as the right tool to accomplish just that aim but let’s clarify our intentions. Our current technology enable us to simulate cross platform exciting emotions, use the genius tools to experiment outside the given subject. Adobe Photoshop has seen many evolution where it makes it easy to simulate lights, glows, burns or even 3D text. Retouchers effortlessly create, incredible or credible to that fact, images that fill advertising campaigns, making us double take when we come across them. If you were to write down every achieved idea figured out and realised in Photoshop, the list would be quite impressive. Nonetheless, the aim of this tutorial is to recreate a wall of sound, the vibration you get outside the speaker in the club or festival float, the feeling when you get when you suspect your intestines may have emigrated into your rib cage as a result of the loud decibels. We’ve got an image of DJ Funkagenda, we’ll get him into the ‘groove’. medium | 3h adobe photoshop | adobe illustrator

funkagenda

01 Canvas

The original image was rather narrow and extra space was need on each side of the original. Shift + Cmd + C will bring out the Canvas size dialogue box. The main size was then set on 400 x 600mm at 300dpi so the final can be used in hi res large scale print. The main idea of the retouch composition was to create a brand image for Dj Funkagenda press use in the year 2009. He was photographed by English photographer Dan Reid how’s worked with many high profile names in the music industry. Then it was passed onto me along with a sample poster for movie Crank. The original image was rather narrow and extra space was need on each side of the original. Shift + Cmd + C will bring out the Canvas size dialogue box. The main size was then set on 400 x 600mm at 300dpi so the final can be used in hi res large scale print.

02

Cut out

One of the sharpest ways of separating the image is to use Pen tool and mask out the unwanted parts. The spiky hair could be quite fiddly to do, but could be quite easily done with mastering the drawing movement on the graphics tablet. You can opt for slower yet more precise joining of the dots by clicking each point at the time. With graphics tablet, this exercise shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Fill the background with 50% black and use gradient to build up darker spots.

03

Desaturation

Based on our main source of inspiration, we’d like to take out the main colours from the guy’s face and all around. Each time simply copy the layer by +J and add adjustment layer on the top of it. Hue / Saturation was the key element here that made it easy to take out the colour levels from the face. Although I didn’t plan to take out all of the colour out of the image. I went in with a soft round brush and kept the colour of the jacket. It will be very useful for later to experiments with glows. 02/2009

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04

Cloudy weather

Clone stamp is very good and invaluable tool. With recent modifications in latest Photoshop versions it’s possible to choose the source of cloning and clone on a new layer from a layer below. The original source of information then could stay intact in it’s high resolution and clarity. The basis for the cloud layer was a photograph although with insufficient size. The Clone Stamp makes it possible to take the useful information and copy it over and over until we fill the whole canvas. Simple!

05

Noise noise noise

As this step we will set out to give the overall image feeling of a painting and work on the texture. Create a group where we will fill the layer with a simple grey colour and add Noise / Grain filter to it. This time is not imperative to turn the layer into Smart Object as we do not require any further scaling of the layer. If you feel one layer isn’t enough, repeat this step a few more times to build up the right grittiness and the right level of noise to give it authentic feeling.

06

Grittiness

Depending on your resources, you can shoot a lot of textures and add them to your library. However, as I don’t currently posses a decent camera I’ve made very good use of freely available images on the internet stock websites. By using a simple keywords I have searched and downloaded a 8-9 images that could fit the final composition and give it nice yet gritty feeling. Each new layer is simply copied and pasted into the main canvas set via Multiply blending mode. It simply knocks out the white tones and results are instant. 26

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07 Vector

Now the composition is starting to get a nice depth in textures, nonetheless I strongly feel it would be a good time to bring in nice and sharp vector elements which will assist the in the even mix and overall balance. At this step, I’ve dabbled into trusted sister application Adobe Illustrator which I’ve been using for many years and find it very intuitive. Each blended piece is pasted in as Shape Layer. The colour can be changed by hitting shortcuts (Alt+Backspace) or (Cmd+Backspace) for foreground or background colour. Set the blending modes to Overlay, work with Opacity and add Outter Glow to light streaks, they will work with later additions.

08 Vibrancy

The images is nicely taking shape but feels quite reserved and little bland in colour. Since we’re planning to inject a lot of movent based on our original idea, it would be nice to use the colour from the camouflage jacket and add extra support colour glows to the streaks around the main DJ. Lineard Dodge blending more lends itself as a right candidate for the job. Let’s start on the jacket, create a new layer, set the blending mode and start brushing with round soft brush. You will instantly notice how the images comes alive. The colours from the jacket work excellently with the greens we are applying now.

09 Shaking movement

The original photography was purposely shot to make it easy to to build up the impression of movement in sound, the movement in photography. Although it may be a little deceptive, the build up isn’t using any blur filters or similiar. The main group is always copied via dragging the group in Layers pallete whilst holding down the Alt key. Merge the group by +E and apply the mask on the layer. This way we lose the information we don’t need and no unwanted parts can not create obstacles. Each side of the movement was created separately, scale up the parts and mask out the extras. 02/2009

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10

Extra movement

In the previous step the main movement has nicely taken shape. However, I still feel the visual resonance could be more emphasised. Repeat the process by copying a layer, scaling it up and place it below the main group of hands. As you may know, it’s very easy to work with Opacity by using your numerical keys on your keyboard.

11 Smoke in my eyes

Photoshop offers many ways how to get the result we wish to achieve. Sometimes it could be very lengthy to separate layers, mask them out and further more. Any chance to save time is always appreciated, the time could be spent on other little tweaks and workflow smoother. A smoke image from Stock Xchange was brought in full, paste into our main canvas. Then it was inverted and blending mode changed to Linear Dodge. The placement of the smoke is more or less dictated by the movement in the main dj photograph. It’s simple to follow the shapes of hands etc. Any extra ‘smoke’ can be masked out.

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Step 12

Adding vector elemetns can always enhance the final piece. Should you prefer you can draw straight in Photoshop or prepared your layers and shapes in Adobe Illustrator. If you are used to the vector application, you know how to easy is to work really fast on new elements. Remember to paste in the shapes as Shape Layers to preserver the vector information. In the longrun, you can scale the parts without loosing the quality. Copy the layer via +J and convert into Smart Vector object to apply Smart Motion Blur filter. 28

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13 Sprayed grit

I have located image of spray paint, with lots of tiny particles that will work really well and support the grain noise that we’ve added much earlier. The particles were added from the main image via Select > Colour Range. If you have troubles with the results, you can balance the contrast with Levels. The blacks with become richer and overall tone unified. This will make it easier to pick all of the range from the image. You can experiment with placing the the layer and inverting it and scroll through the Blending modes to see what’s the best for this particular part.

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Levels

It’s easy to neglect the essential parts of the final output whilst concentrating on bits and pieces that make up the whole concept. When in print, some colour values might not be as strong as desired. For this step, we’ll balance out the Levels in the image for better contrast and stronger final look. Add Levels as an adjustment layer and experiment with settings to get the right feel we aim to achieve.

15 Tonal tweaks

Use of colour and vibrant glows will be nicely rounded off with the final adjustment layer. The idea is the bring out richer tones into so far almost two tonal composition. As per the previous steps, access the the function via the bottom icon the Layers palette. Set the layer to ‘ ..... ‘ and fill the mast with black colour. Select a rounded soft brush and mask out only the areas where you want the blend to apprear. The colour around the elbows and and glows works much better, the image now feels complete. by Radim Malinic / BrandNu 02/2009

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Lights Photoshop Action

When it came to graphic design and Photoshop, the same thing was true as is with anything else: practice makes perfect. I am going to put together a design that involves some very nice techniques that you can take and apply to any design, not just this one.

lights photoshop action

01

Garbage In, Garbage Out

You might have heard this before. If you want a good final product, start with a good image to begin with. First duplicate your image so you always have the original. First thing – remove my background. There are several different ways you can do that, choose between the magnetic lasso, using the extract filter, of just use the magic wand and select the white (although this will leave the edges a little grungy a lot the time).

02

Make A New Background

Next, we’ll put a new layer in between the original layer and the duplication. On that new layer, use the gradient tool to put a nice dark color behind her. I used a black to purple (however, you could do whatever color you want, but it will effect the image later).

03

Bringing Colors Out

The image I’ve chosen is beautiful, even so, I enjoy vibrant colors so I experimented with the levels until I got some colors that I liked. After that, I still wanted the colors to come out even more. So I duplicated that layer and experimenting with the contrast. Then I changed the blend mode to Vivid Light, and brought the opacity down to around 15%. It may look blown out on the sides, but that’s what I want. That will add to the glowing effects we will add later. 02/2009

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04

Let’s Make A Border

To make the border I got some really nice grunge and abstract brushes and started painting a black border around and a little over our model. Of course you could use whatever color you want. After the border gets done I added a pinkish-purple outer glow, and then changed the blend mode on the glow to Color Dodge.

05

Glowing The Border

We’re going to make the border look like it’s glowing even more. We still have the original image visible at the very bottom. We’re going to use the white background from that image (if you’re doing this with another image, add a white layer at the very bottom of your layers palette). With the border layer highlighted, go to Select>Load Selection and load that layer. Do an Inverse under the Select menu. Now go back to your dark gradient background, making sure it’s highlighted, and click on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layers palette.

06

Pull Back

Now what we want to do is go back to the border layer and Transform it. After it’s selected with Transform, just pull the handles back on each of the sides until the white begins to show from behind it. Don’t do it too much, just enough to make it look like it’s glowing a little more than it is. 32

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lights photoshop action

07

Glow A Little More

For this glowing technique make a new layer and use your paint bucket to fill it with black. Use white and either grab a brush that looks like stars and start painting, or you can change your brush presets (scattering and shape dynamics) and start painting with your new custom brush. When you’re done, change the layer’s blend mode to Color Dodge. You can then move your layer around until you get what you like, erasing what you don’t. (You can do the same thing with lines, shapes, whatever, but we’re going to start with a starry pattern).

08

Making A Lens Flare

For the next technique we’re going to make some glowing balls. Make a new layer and again fill it with black. Then go to Filter>Render>Lens Flare. Pick the 50-300mm Zoom style (You can do this more than once on the same layer, but don’t overdo it). Move the lights around to wherever you desire and click okay. When it gets done, Change the blend mode to Color Dodge again. (You can also choose a different blend mode, getting whatever effect you want, but I wanted the Color Dodge to bring out some colors under the border we made). Move the layer around to get whatever effect you desire. You’re going to find, for the most part, it’s experimenting with your blend modes that will give you an understanding of color effects. You can do this a few times if you want, changing the size of the layer you use. You can put these around the images, changing the size, blend mode, and just experimenting to get what you like. That’s all part of learning.

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Making the Glow’s Origin

Next we need to make a new layer right beneath the layer of our model. I want to get a silhouette-like shape around our model to appear as if she’s glowing. I grabbed a brush from my inventory that paints a starscape and started painting around her in white. The white applied against the background and the fact that it has different levels of opacity create a good effect for a glow. To add a little more to it, I applied an outer glow and used a blue to match her sweatshirt, and then changed the blend mode of the glow to Vivid Light. 02/2009

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Glowing Up Front

Now we don’t want the glow to just be behind her, we want it to be in front of her too, but not so much that it overpowers her or the image. This will also help on her skin and body to actually show the effects of the light. You can either add a new layer right above her or you can duplicate the layer you just made and shrink it, rotate it, or whatever you like. When I got done I changed the blend mode of the layer to Overlay, and brought the opacity down, again, so not to overpower the image.

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Adding Details

Now after I got that done I decided to add some detail to the background, so I grabbed some custom shapes, brushes, and made some basic shapes to put behind our model. I played with the blending mode until I got something I liked. So just play around and experiment until you come up with something you like, not necessarily what’s in a book, on a webpage, or what someone else has done. I also used the lens flare tool again, repeating what I did earlier, but this time changed the levels, contrast, and hue/saturation. I also applied some filters on those flares to get some other looks.

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Light Beams

We’re almost done. Next we’re going to make streams of lights. Grab your pen tool. I used both the Pen Tool and the Freeform Pen Tool (make sure it is set to Path). Add a new layer somewhere above the border layer. Now take one of your Pen tools and draw your streams of light. I like to do one at a time unless I want them to be all the same size. The first one I did was just across the screen, no real point of origin. After you have that, look at your brush and set the diameter to something fairly small and make sure it has a soft edge. I used a blue that matched up with her sweatshirt for the color. Next, grab the Direct or Path Selection tool. Right click and choose Stroke Path, and use the brush tool with the simulate pressure checkbox checked. You can even fix your brush presets to scatter and make a dust effect the same way. I then changed the blend mode of the layer to Overlay, duplicated the layer and added a glow with its blend mode changed to Color Dodge, and changed that layer’s blend mode to Linear Light. 02/2009

lights photoshop action

13 More Lights

Finally, I used the Pen tool again, and did the same thing except this time I made a bunch of lines coming from her headphones and wrapping around her body. I did the same thing with the Stroke Path, but this time make sure your brush has a small diameter, somewhere around 12 or so. Next add an Outer Glow of red and blend mode set to overlay. And then add a Drop Shadow of yellow with the blend mode set to Color Dodge. And you’re done. Now you got some nice techniques that’ll apply anywhere, not just here. by Krist Adams

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medium | 1h paint.net v3.36 | arcsoft photostudio 5.5

Eye The

To make a starry blast of color, you need to understand blending and textures. Blending colors to look natural is important to make your photo look as clean and believable as possible. Textures that compliment the photo all over. Flashy, something that definitely catches your eye. Yet still have a beautiful photo in front of you. Stars and splatters mixing together, making a burst of hue. In the end having a Starburst of beauty and color.

T

o start, add a new layer on top of the original image. Using Lasso Select, select the part of the image you want to brighten the make up. Once selected, choose Paint Bucket, and fill the selected area with a transparent color. (Do one color at a time.) Go to Effects, Blurs, and choose Motion Blur to soften the make up and look more natural. To finish the make up, go to Layers, Layer Properties, and change the Blending Mode to Multiply.

Stars

Adding stars is really simple and fast. Import a new image of stars, Layer Properties, an change Blending Mode to Multiply once again. Copy the highlighted image using [Ctrl]+[C], and paste using [Ctrl]+[V]. Move the copied image where ever you want it. Do that repeatedly until your sastified with what you have. Next, select

Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3.

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Figure 7.

Figure 4.

Figure 8.

Figure 5.

Figure 9.

Figure 6.

the stars you want to change color using the Lasso tool. Go to Adjustments, Hue/Saturation change the Hue to 130.

Motion Blur at an Angle of 25.00, and Distance of 19. Almost done, now Flatten the image, and blur the image with Gaussian Blur at 1. Add you name with text, last, save the image as JPEG.

Splatters

ArcSoft PhotoStudio, Star Pupil

This one is for underneath the eye. Import an image, go to Layer Properties, change Blending Mode to Multiply. Move the image where you want it under the eye. Cut out any pixels from the image you don't want. Select a part of the image you want to change the hue on. Go to Hue/Saturation and change it to 35. Repeat the same step with other parts of the image. Import the last image, once again, change the Blending Mode but to Color Burn instead of Multiply. Use the color picker to pick up colors from the image, and paint brush the splatters you don't want to show the eye. To blend the colors together to look more real, use

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Open the image, and zoom into the middle of the eye. Select the Smudge tool and change the settings to; Brush Size: 65 Rate: 70%. Choose the area where you want your first smudge. Slowly drag the black of the pupil outward, repeat until you have a star. Save your image, and – You're finished. by Shelby Lynn R.

02/2009

Celest

This piece shows how to create a dynamic typographic image in a beautiful way using typography as image. The inspiration for this piece came while I was at art school and I was cutting up some old Vogue magazines to use as a collage. I started to create figures and shapes out of the editorial content and adverts. Once I started to use the Apple Mac the style evolved from a conventional to a digital approach that still has a creative and organic feel to it.

medium | 6h adobe photoshop

celest

01 Start up

To begin set up a new document that measures 230 x 297mms and make it 300 dots per inch (dpi) resolution. The base photographic image that we will be using does not have to be high res as the final piece will not include any of the base imagery. You could just as easily use a sketch or illustration to produce this style. So now create a layer set with the base image. In this case we will use a photograph. Our model is Celeste. It is a good idea to start with the face as that is the most complicated area so it will require the most attention so now create a new layer set called face. On the 2nd monitor we have a small palette of attractive colours and they are used as a guide but are absolutely not necessary for the completion of the artwork.

02

Dark areas

I create a new layer set called face. I tend to start with the dark areas first and to do that I zoom in to 200% and trace over the dark sections of the image using a combination of the lasso and pen tool. I do not use black, but rather deeps purples, browns and reds to keep things more appealing and colourful. When doing this try to be free with your movements as it is not important to religiously stick to the image as when the texture is added things will change anyway. Just have fun! Once I outline a section I fill it with the dark blue colour of R: 7 G: 8 B: 19.

03

Introduction of type

The next stage is to add typography to the dark areas of the image so far. All of the colours on the piece should all be the same colour and when you are finished you should have an image with areas of text being visible that make up dark shades of the image. 02/2009

41

typography

04

Break the rules

To make things more interesting I rotate, twist, turn around, stretch and layer the typography with the imagery to create a new interesting texture. When I add the type it’s a good idea to merge down the type layers so that everything remains on one layer. With the amount of layers that I use (going into hundreds) keeping unmerged layers wastes time and memory so I keep everything on the dark layer at this stage.

05

Introducing colours

Now is time to introduce colours into the piece. Create a new set of layers and these represent all of the colours. For example the called oranges will include various tones of orange. The colours that will be used will not be totally realistic skin tones but exaggerated vibrant colours that will bring even more life to the image.

06

Substituting colours

One method that is very useful to use is to substitute colours on your image. So if you looked at the image where it showed reds, you could change those to blues and create a completely different effect. At this point it’s difficult to pass on a technique because you should be able to get into a creative flow and go with what feels right at the time. 42

02/2009

celest

07

Layering colours

Do not worry if things look sketchy at this stage because they should do. The important thing is to keep going and do not lose faith. So now I create a few new layers and give new layer a separate colour to work with.

08

Close up

You can see in this close up shot that once the colours start to get overlaid on top of each other they begin to create an interesting textured effect that has a personality away from the still image.

09

Contrast

Now there are some really nice colours and textures going on, it is now time to tighten things up. So I will begin to add style to the hair by using the pen tool to create stylised strands of hair. These are created individually one by one. It is more time consuming but I believe that it creates a better effect than any filter for this style of work. 02/2009

43

typography

10

Dark areas

So now the image has a balance of abstraction and control. The dark areas are blocked in solidly because I will be coming back later to work within that area once the rest of the figure is put in.

11

View of head

So now the basics of the head and shoulders are put in. Now it’s time to move on to the rest of the body.

12

Close up detail of head

Here you can see in greater detail the way that the separate elements are used to create the face. 44

02/2009

celest

13

Put yourself into it

Now you can keep adding more hair and colours to the face until you are happy with the way that things are looking. It is important not to get bogged down with trying to get things to look perfect. The goal should be to create something with passion and energy in it.

14

Pen Tool

Now I use the pen tool to create the shape of the body. The same process will be used as the face, so now not as much detail will be required. So I put in the dark areas first and add a new layer set called body.

15

The body

At this stage I create an outline of the body as a guide. The rest of the image will be featured around what is here. 02/2009

45

typography

16

Background

Now is the point where the image will really begin to take shape. It is time to put in a background colour now and as I want to create something eye catching so a bright colour will be used. I will try a vibrant yellow and to make things slightly more dynamic I will include a gradient.

17

Gradient effect

I choose two different colours as the foreground and background colours on the tool palette. The yellow is colour is R: 255, G: 255, B: 0 and the warmer yellow is R: 255, G: 180, B: 0. Now I make a new layer set called background and then on the background layer use a gradient fill. I start from about 100 pixels above the base of the right hand side of the image and move diagonally to the top left of the image and I make sure that the brighter yellow is on the foreground palette.

18

Introduction of body tones

Now it is a case of continuing the same process for the face we did with the body. With the introduction of the background colour things look brighter and more alive. 46

02/2009

celest

19 Mask

Now I add a layer called template on the body layer set. I colour it green so that it is easily visible. The next thing I do is either type in or copy and paste text onto the page. For this example I will use dummy copy and I will make it fairly large. I make it 36 points and make sure that it covers the entire body of the Celeste image. Next I select the green template layer by loading the selection. This is done by holding the right click button on the mouse and choosing load selection or holding the control button and clicking to bring up the sub menu. Once this is done and the template layer is highlighted I then go back to the text layer and click the layer mask button and it masks the text in the shape of the template layer.

20

Repeat process

Next it is time to repeat the process again, next time I use the dark layer and adjust the size, leading and kerning of the text. I change the colours of the text and build depth and a dynamic effect in a similar way to which the effect on the face was built.

21

Keep building up layers

Keep going until you feel happy with the way that things are going. Turn the text on it’s side, rotate, and flip until you start to build up the look that you want. 02/2009

47

typography

22

Do not be restricted

Now it is time to really let go and have fun. I unlink the layers and move the text to create even more of a random effect. Soon the base image becomes unimportant and it is down to your creativity to define the image.

23

Use your creative judgement

Now experiment by taking away layers and testing variations to create interesting shapes and new textures. I will add a new base colour to work with the rest of the image. I will go back to working with the base image and pick up bits of the image and leave bits out to create more interesting variations and this is done by using the lasso tool and cutting away shapes from the text.

24

Play with layers

It is a good idea to leave layers on the file even if you are not using them and try different combinations of layers with other groups to create different effects. 48

02/2009

celest

25

Less is more

Sometimes less really is more. After experimenting with so many variations I decided on taking away a lot of the superfluous details and restrict the colours to create a strong look.

26

Cut away excess imagery

Now it is time to use the lasso tool to cut away the excess shapes that I do not want to include. It is a test of your nerve but you need to use your creative eye and get cutting.

27

Shadows

The piece has a nice feel to it and to balance things up a bit we need to put shadows under Celeste. So I will select the blue used in her hair and use the pen tool to create a shadow from the base of her right shoe to the edge of the page with a gradient fading to 0% opacity. So I will select the blue used in her hair and use the pen tool to create a shadow from the base of her right shoe to the edge of the page with a gradient fading to 0% opacity. 02/2009

49

typography

28

More shadows

I create another shadow layer and repeat the same process for the other foot. After the shadow is complete I cut away the shape of the leg using the pen tool to complete the impression of the shadow and we are finished.

29

Final grab

The finished piece of work in detail.

30

Final piece

The final finished piece of work. 50

02/2009

Restoring

the past

The digital restoration of old photos is basically an art that requires patience and love for history and art of photography. The essence of the original photo should be preserved in its restoration; care must be taken to ensure that, where possible, the image undergoes a minimum of changes, both in its original form and in its artistic aspect or expository medium | 4h adobe photoshop CS3

restoring the past

01

Step 1.

With the original photo in hand, we can see that there are many risks, scratches, creases and torn areas.

02

Step 2

We started the work basically using the clone tool of Adobe Photoshop CS3. There are elements that must be preserved and all the resources for reconstruction must be found in the original photo.

03

Step 3

We cloned and rebuilt everything that was possible. 02/2009

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photo restoring

04 Step 4

We are now at the point where we can make other adjustments and editions to the photograph. Cut the photo and improve its angle so the chair appears horizontal. From here we worked with Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, as a matter of personal taste. We have the following settings in the image: adjust> color> fade correction> amount 10 adjust> one step noise removal. Because there are parts of yellow skin we corrected using the change to target brush, select colors for the foreground and background that best adapt to change and return the unwanted color tone of skin.

05

Step 5

Here we use two filters: adjust> skin smoothing> amount 50 adjust> edge preserving smooth> amount 3.

06

Step 6

Finally, back to Adobe Photoshop CS3 and a little more use of cloning for repair points left aside and we have this result.The use of layers is at your discretion. We actually did not uses layers in this work and saved the file in PSD format. Final for the revelation of the photo we converted it to jpeg format, with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI. byFabiano Uesler and Silvana Rudolf 54

02/2009

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From the

Past

I recived this picture from some relatives who were tired of the rejection of photo-labs to try to restore it. So, they asked me to restore it, I said OK, let me see what can I do... The scene is from the countryside in Chile, during the 1930’s.

T

he picture was originally blurry, dirty and very cracked, wrinkled and bent, plus had some borders missing, and the big-old fold right in the middle was distorting some important parts. Luckily the elements inside were very simple but almost every detail needed restoration work.

The first step was to reconstruct the size of the orginal document by placing the scanned picture over a new canvas with the full size. Knowing the task would be huge, I used guidelines to divide the picture in small areas. It allowed me to focus efficiently on every single quadrant. One section at time. This separation, in the

Figure 1. Original picture

Figure 2. Find clean pieces of textures to clone them over damaged areas. Mix them to avoid patterns

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02/2009

from the past

Figure 3. Details before

Figure 4. A picture like this should be divided in smaller areas, it allows you to focus on every single detail

Figure 5. Avoid patterns. You can smoth and mix some textures to prevent patterns. Set the clone stamp tool with a soft brush in a low percent of opacity, it takes more time but the result is less obvious end, helped make every area looked clean and detailed, but a little bit different between them, that is why the final stage was to unify the new textures. I use the clone stamp tool almost exclusively, always working with the smaller brushes sizes for covering the cracks on the

surface, and the bigger and softer for mixing clean textures in order to unify the general look of the picture. The most important thought during this stage was avoid patterns. The smiling faces and clothes in the picture received exactly the same restoration process, even more detailed, but the original

02/2009

57

photo restoring

Figure 6. Corners before

Figure 7. Corners detail

blur did not allow me to achieve sharpened edges. The missing parts of the landscape was replaced with cloned textures from different areas of the already restored document. Finally, levels were modified a little bit to get more contrast and detect any unnoticed damage or defect, and the general color was changed by using the gradient map tool in order to satisfy the client’s wishes.

Old pictures are always precious treasures for the owners, and working hard we can be able to return those beautiful memories back to them. This simple restauration meant a lot for those people. The printed version of this work crossed the boundries in order to reach the ladies’ present places. by Francisco Marambio

Figure 8. Final result

58

02/2009

medium | 2h adobe photoshop

black & white photograph

Colorization of a Black & White Photograph This tutorial shows a practical way in which to colorize a black and white photograph. The process is simple and is done by blending the colors using the Hue blending mode as well as other modes as required by the photograph. Some additional retouches are also applied such as lights and shadows to highlight the details in the skin. At the end we will have achieved a transformation of a black and white image to full color with a very realistic appearance.

01

Step 1

This effect can be realized with any black and white picture. In this case I am using a photo of the model Ana Isabel Piñon.

02

Step 2

To start we paint a new layer with the desired skin color and set the blending mode to Hue. 02/2009

61

photo restoring

03

Step 3

Through a masking layer the sectors that do not match the skin color are erased. The regions that don't match the skin color are hidden with a mask layer. In this case the REGIONS covering the eyes, mouth and clothing are hidden.

04 Step 4

In a new layer the remaining details are painted in order to complete the photograph’s colors. The remaining details are painted on a new layer in orded to finish coloring the picture. The layers are then blended with the original black and white photo to obtain a colorization process that is very close to reality. To blend the layers various modes can be employed depending on the desired result. Different blending modes can be used depending on the desired result. In this step a hue blend was used, and the picture's coloring is finished, but it is important to touch up the picture in order to achieve a more realistic effect.

05

Step 5

Use some special touch-up techniques such as desaturating the hair to eliminate the reddish tone. Also add some light and shadow effects over the skin to obtain greater realism. The retouch will be done depending on the desired result over the photograph. 62

02/2009

black & white photograph

06

Step 6

Picture created with colors on different layers and blended with the original picture.

07 Step 7

Picture treated to achieve a greater realism. After the color fusion merging process, the skin tones were treated with light and shadow highlights to achieve a more realistic texture. Desaturation was also applied to the hair color to eliminate the bright tones and – details were highlighted on the eyebrows, lashes and facial lines. Via these retouch the colorization effect is much more realistic.The coloring is much more realistic using these touch-up techniques. by Arturo Ayala

02/2009

63

using liquify

Snowdoll

Reforming an Image by Using Liquify

Even though in the beginning, I thought it would be difficult and bizarre to write a tutorial for an art work, later on I thought that a tutorial like that could be useful for those who are searching for new plastic effects in digital media or for those who want to develop new illustrative styles. So please consider this tutorial not as a guide that will be applied word for word but as tips that will help those who seek different plastic effects for their works in order to reform photographic materials. Figure 1.

Preparing the Base Portrait

Open a portrait photo that you want to use and cut it at the edges and make a path. Then open a new image(2480x3543)name it Portrait. Paste the portrait's path and name the layer base portrait. Desaturate the face using Sponge Tool (select a smooth brush between 250-300 px size) but don't apply it to the lips. Make paths for the lips and for the left eye and the eyebrow. There should be some space left around them and then select them and applying 20 pixel feather . Open two new layers, name them left eye and lips and then paste these paths to these layers. Since we are modifying the base portrait now, you may turn off and make the left eye and the lips layers invisible. If you wish, before beginning to modify the base portrait, duplicate your layer. Open the base portrait layer and erase the eyes and the lips by using clone stamp tool (select a smooth brush between 200-300 px size). Open a new layer, name it eye cavity shadow and make some shadows with a black brush ( use it at 10% opacity and 430 px for size). The underwork that will give us the ability to reform the portrait (Figure 1).

Reforming the Portrait I

In this step, to reform the portrait as we wish, we are going to use mostly Liquify. Open base portrait layer and from the filter menu, open the liquify program. From the toolbar at the left top, select forward warp tool and move easily left and right the area you want. If you have a wacom graphic tablet, this tool gives you even the possibility to turn your photo into an anime character you wish. Now we can raise coat's collars a little and make the shoulders more upright. I made the chin thinner using the bloat tool ( 300 px brush-you can change the size from the right menu) and I made the middle part of the chin look puffier. If you do not like the result, you can always reset all by selecting restore all from the right panel in Liquify. After we made our image look as the way we want, we can click OK and turn to our folder. Since the luquify application makes the image a little bit blurry, sharpen the image with the filter menu sharpen/ unsharpen mask (use the values 90 for amount 1.3 for radius and 0 for threshold) (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

Reforming the portrait II

face. We can again make some changes by using forward warp and bloat tools. I replaced the eyebrow a little above the original location, extended the left side of the eye and dilated the pupil by using Bloat

Now, we can modify the eyes and the lips. Open left eye layer and enlarge the eye so that the eyebrow moves a little bit above the

02/2009

65

photomanipulation

Figure 4.

Figure 3. tool. Then, I erased with a 150 px size smooth brush the enlarged parts that were on the rain-hood. As in the previous step, after I reshaped the lips, I applied unsharp mask (Figure 3).

edge of the iris and select this triangle by applying 3 pixel feather. Paint this path white and make the layer opacity 35%. Now, you can merge that layer with the left eye layer. To change the color of the lips, open a hue saturation mask for the lips layer and as you did in pupil step, mask the lips part. By changing the hue values give it the color you wish. For all the other elements that you want to change the color, you can apply hue saturation and solid color masks at multipy mode (Figure 5).

Shading and tones

In order to merge more the eyes and the lips with the face, open a layer named face shadows and paint the parts that are in cavities with a black and smooth brush at 10% opacity and 400 px size (like the cavity between the lips, above the chin, the edges of the face etc.). Then apply 9 px radius Gaussian blur to that layer. To increase the bright parts of the face open a new layer, name it face lighting and apply white brush with 40% opacity and 400 px size to convex parts of the face and to the pupil. Then apply 3 px Gaussian blur to the layer. In order to adjust the black & white balance of the image, open a new layer, go to levels mask and adjust black & white balance as you wish. Now we can begin to colorize (Figure 4).

Coloring

In this step, we will use hue-saturation and solid color masks to change our image's colors. Let's start with the color of the coat. Make a path for the coat and select by applying 3 pixel for feather. Open a hue saturation mask and name that layer coat color. By modifying the hue & saturation levels, change the color as you want. For the eye color, open a solid color mask, name it eye color an from the layer properties select multiply mode. Open the mask, apply paint bucket to the whole layer and apply eraser tool with 50-70 px to the areas that you want to change the color. (That layer must be right above the layer named left eye). Now you can change the color of the eye by clicking color icon at the eye color layer. Finally, in order to give a flare to the eye, open a new layer above the left eye layer name it eye_shining and make a triangle by using path tool from the middle of the pupil towards the

66

Figure 5.

02/2009

using liquify Adding collage elements: Clover

Figure 6.

In order to cover the left eye cavity, crop a clover and put it in the image (name that layer clover). By changing the the hue saturation values (from adjustments menu) modify the color of the clover as you wish to adapt to the portrait. To create its shadow, duplicate the clover layer and name that new layer clover shadow. Then open a hue saturation window from the adjustments menu and reduce the lightness to -100 degrees. Apply an 18 px Gaussian blur to the layer, move the shadow slightly towards the left bottom of the clover and reduce the layer opacity to 55%. ( Also, as I did for this work, you can add a 3px Gaussian blur or motion blur so that the elements you added can be blended more with the main image and this will also prevent the added elements from being in the forefront) (Figure 6).

Photomanipulation: Eye necklace

First step is to make the eye necklace: make a path for the neck part of the coat and select it by giving 3 px value for the feather radius then erase it. Then open the left eye layer and make a rough path for the eye and select it with 6 px feather radius. Copy then paste. Name that new layer eye_pearl and open the eye necklace group. (The eye necklace group has to be above the base portrait layer) put the eye_pearl layer in that group. This is the first pearl of your necklace. Duplicate the pearl to make the other ones. Then by increasing or decreasing their sizes or using flip horizontal, flip vertical options place them as you wish. Again open left eye layer, make a path for the pupil, select it by using 3 px for the feather radius and put it in the eye necklace group. Name the layer pupille_pearl and duplicate and place these little pearls that are in pupil form. At the end open again liquify and play a bit by using forward warp tool in order to create harmonic transitions between the eyes tails. This time, in order to colorize the necklace, we will use a different technique, which is more simple. Open necklace_color layer above the group and select the multiply mode. Then you can paint Figure 7. the pupils as you want with a 150-200 px sized smooth brush. But to change the color you'll have to erase the areas that you have painted. Open a new layer above this previous one, name it eye necklace shadow and paint it with black brush at 10% opacity and 100 px size. Apply Gaussian blur at 10% intensity to that layer. Then open necklace shining layer and again apply some white on the bulges (especially on pupils) with white brush at 50% opacity and apply a 10 px Gaussian blur to the layer.. You can now merge all the layers for the eye necklace and by using Bloat tool in Liquify you just a bit bloat in the middle of the necklace. The necklace is now ready (Figure 7).

The Final image

You can now a bit play with black and white balance by using Levels mask we created at the beginning in Shading and Tones step and if you are pleased you can now flatten your image (Figure 8). by Ceren Aksungur

Figure 8. 02/2009

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medium | 8-10h adobe photoshop CS4

fantasy portrait

Creating a

Fantasy Portrait For this tutorial, I will be creating a fantasy portrait similar to one of my previous pieces entitled, Dryad. In my work, the photography is really like a gesture drawing or a sketch. I know I am going to heavily work my images over in Photoshop, so I need a camera that is going to be fast, reliable, easy to use, and capture a good quality image, even on just the basic auto settings. I also carry with me a Sony Cybershot on a daily basis. The Cybershot is perfect for when you are out and about and see that interesting architectural detail or texture pattern. I am am continually amazed at just how great the images are from this camera, plus, it fits in my pocket!

01

Capturing a Muse

Photo shoot! For this image I will be working with one of my good friends and favorite models, Alysa. We will shoot around 300 to 400 images in about 90 minutes. I will have her just continuously shift and change position, while I, in turn, move about taking shots from different angles. The goal here is not to create the perfect photo, but rather just capture the essence of the model and something that has some dramatic visual pull. To further reinforce the gesture drawing/quick sketch nature of the photography, I often forgo any fancy backdrops or lighting set ups. I also prefer to have my models go without a lot of heavy make-up or styling products. A nice, clean, base look is what I am am after here, since I will be adding any desired affects in the post work. Remember, it is always easier to add than it is to subtract when working digitally from photos. Once the shoot is over, I will use Adobe Bridge to scan through the shots, looking for the one that grabs my attention. Here, I have settled on a shot that reminds me of the work we are recreating, while at the same time offering something a little different to the mix.

02

Creating the Canvas

The next step is to create my working file. I usually create a new 7 inch wide by 10 inch high 300 DPI psd as my starting point. This is just a little narrower than the standard 8 x10 size, which I think helps reinforce the vertical aspect of the image. Quite possibly this is a holdover from the book cover work I do, which is generally taller than it is wide, but I find this size to be a comfortable working environment, especially on screen. 02/2009

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photomanipulation

03

Mirror and Masking

I like the look of the photo I have selected, but I am not sold on its composition just yet. Some tinkering later, I have decided to do a horizontal flip, thus bringing it more in line with our inspiration, the Dryad piece. This seems better to my eye and so I am going to go ahead and do my masking. I have tried many different means of masking, but when given a choice I will almost always use Corel’s Knockout 2 plug-in. It is a somewhat outdated add-on, and perhaps not as precise as Mask Pro, but I like the simplicity of its interface, and it does a good enough job that I can just refine the edges with the standard Photoshop tools. Helpful Masking Hint: Here is a simple trick I use all the time to help make my cutouts more seamlessly blend into an image. Select your cutout (by [CTRL] clicking the layer in the Layers Pallet) then Select>Modify>Contract, choosing 3 to 5 pixels. Next, Select>Inverse to select just the 3 pixel edge of your cutout area. Follow this by using the Gaussian Blur Filter set between 1 to 2.

04

Skin Treatment

My next step is to just do a basic image cleanup. Here I will use the healing brush, and the clone tool to just smooth out the skin tones and accentuate the features I want to emphasize, like the eyes, or lips. I am also going to resize and give a few thoughts to overall composition as I play around with the free transform tool. Finally, I will adjust the hue, saturation, and vibrancy to make it more dramatic.

05

70

Background and Illumination

Now that I have my subject ready, it is time to pay some attention to the background. First I am going to hide the model layer, then create a new layer just above the background. I will fill this later with a 60% Gray, then use the gradient fill tool to add some spots of interest. I do not want to add a lot, just three or four hotspots. To achieve this, I will select white as my foreground color and set the gradient to go from foreground to transparent, with a radial fill. As I am doing this, I will occasionally un-hide the model layer and look for key lighting. For example, if your model is mostly lit from the left side, you will want to keep your hotspots consistent with your focus image and keep them to the left of the image as well. Additionally, you will want to add your spots to areas of the image where you want to draw interest. In this image, we are really going to focus on Alysa’s eyes, and her necklace. So I have added my hotspots to where they should help attract the viewer to those areas. Note: Don’t worry if your hotspots are obscured by your model image at this point. We will be doing some magic with blending modes as we move along! 02/2009

fantasy portrait

06

Building a Thematic Background

It is time to add some additional elements. Here you will want to think about the image as a whole and what theme, mood or feeling you want to achieve. With the starting image we have chosen, we have the basis for a great emotional work. For this piece, I think we will begin with a collection of violets and blues, tending toward green. I am also going to add in some textural elements to break up the photographic nature of the stock somewhat. These can be anything from close up shots of rusted metal or pavement to scans from water damaged books, or even just simple ink washes on paper. Once I have assembled some of these elements, I will start playing around. I begin by layering them in over top of the hotspot layer we just created. Then, I adjust the hue and saturation of the layer, and change the layer blending mode to multiply, screen or hard light until I get a sense for how it best compliments my theme.

07 Bringing in the Muse

At this point, I am going to bring the model back into the picture. As with the background elements, I will again use blending modes to unify the model shot with the layers beneath. Here, I have set the original model layer to linear burn. On top of that, I duplicate the model layer, setting the duplicate layer’s blending mode to multiply, before duplicating the layer yet a third time on top of that. This final model layer is then hue and saturation adjusted to the blue/gray hue you see in the sample, and its layer blending mode is set to color. Here, you can now see the effect or our hotspot layer from Step 5.

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Restoring the Focal Points

With the blending modes, we have darkened the figure up quite a bit, so now it is time to bring back the attention to the areas we want to highlight. To achieve this, I am going to add a masking layer to our original model layer (the layer set to linear burn) and do some gradient fills essentially adding transparency to areas of the layer allowing more light from the layers beneath to shine through. It is important to be subtle here, so I am using a 50% Gray to create the gradient fills in the layer mask as I do not want to create bright white holes in the image. 02/2009

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09 Adding a Little Romanticism

Looking pretty good so far, but we have to do something about the hair. It is a little too controlled and does not convey any romanticism. I create a new layer above the topmost model layer and set its blending mode to multiply. Then, I manually paint in some new hair. For this, I am using the paintbrush tool with a round soft edged brush, set to 100% opacity and black as my color choice. Nothing too fancy, but a few quick strokes with the WACOM tablet and I have added much more body to the left side, and made it look windblown. This gives it a boost in the fantasy direction, away from being just a simple portrait.

10 Working in the Atmosphere

This is where I am going to start shaking things up a bit. Much like Step 6, I am going to begin experimenting. This time though, we are going to create a new layer on top of all the other layers and add some splashes of color. Here I am going to go back to my original color choices of violet and blue and just create a hazy cloud like blob. I am going to then use the smudge tool to push it around and give it some streaks and direction. Finally, I will finish it up with a run through the Gaussian Blur filter, and then set the layer blend mode to Lighten. It is pretty powerful at full strength, so I reduce the layer opacity to 60%. The purpose of this layer is really just to help blend the image into a unified whole, removing some of the photographic detail, while giving us a more atmospheric aesthetic.

11 Creating the Composite

Creating a new layer first, I use the Stamp Visible command to create a merged, flattened copy of my work so far. This now serves as my base, and I will begin working the image up from here, adding foreground effects and sharpening the details. A good bit of this work will be done free hand using the WACOM, while employing the paintbrush and other tools. (For many of my images, I actually print out the image at this stage using an Epson photo printer and fine art paper or illustration board. I will then add some drawing or painting with traditional media and scan the image back in before resuming. For this tutorial, however, I will be sticking to pure digital methods). I ended up darkening the outer edges of the image to help draw more attention to the central figure, while also deepening some of the facial features like the eyes. 72

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fantasy portrait

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Adding Texture to Improve the Aesthetic

It is still looking too digital for my tastes at this point, so I am going to do some texture overlays to help break it up a bit. I find a good paint splatter effect can really go a long way toward removing some of digital’s inherent sterility. I have a good random splatter brush that I acquired years ago on a CD tutorial included in a magazine, which I use to just liberally cover the canvas with at 100% opacity. Once I have got a good spread, I will again use the layer blending modes and opacity to tone down my splatter texture to the point where it barely shows. I create one layer using the Color Dodge blending mode and setting its layer opacity at 60%, then create a second layer, which I adjust using the Overlay blending mode with a layer opacity of 18%. I also do some quick color adjusting to blend them in a bit better with my chosen pallet.

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From Background to the Foreground

Time to start adding the leaves! By using the leaves from the background in the foreground, I am adding upon the foundation that I started with and bringing even more unity into the image. This also lends to our earthy/fantasy feel. Each leaf is placed on its own layer and adjusted for color, opacity and layer blend.

14 Bringing it All Together

OK, I really like what I have so far, but there are some areas that still need work. First, I am going to bring in a few things to balance out the composition. By adding a few well placed circles, I offset the heavy presence of the leaves and give the eye a few more spots of interest. Second, I do some color corrections to give the piece more of a color unity. The face was looking a bit too blue, so I brought it back into the violet/pinkish range of the necklace area. Speaking of the necklace, I am going to try and give it a bit more glow. Finally, I am going to add some complimentary Orange leaves to really accent the purple hue of the image. 02/2009

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Clarifying the Details

By this point, the image is looking just a little hazy, so I have sharpened the image just a tiny bit. Also, our fairy princess is looking a little small and lost in the middle, so let’s bring her more to the forefront, and shift the focus back to where it should be, with some cropping.

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Color Shifting to Compliment

Still too much blue, so I went back and added even more orange around the edges. To do this I used the stamp visible command to create a copy of the work into a new layer. Then I adjusted the hue/saturation of the whole layer with the colorize option turned on to give it an orange hue. I then added a layer mask, and used my gradient fill, to allow parts of the original layer to emerge from below by making certain areas of interest transparent. Now she is ready to print! by Timothy Lantz

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pseudo hdr from one jpg

Creating a Pseudo HDR from one JPG I often like to reflect on my past work, just as you would reflect on a fond memory of an old friend. Each photo I take, though it may not be of a person, still remains a snapshot of a time gone by and a moment from my life. Though I am still rather new to photography, I feel that I have come a long way in my studies, even though I still have many miles to go. Time to time, I like to look back on my earlier works, to see how I can use my newly acquired knowledge

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big development during my photographic studies was my introduction to HDR photography, or “High Dynamic Range Photography”. HDR images are created by taking multiple exposures of the same scene and combining them together to create one highly detailed image. Another way to understand how it works, is to think of the human eye, which is far more advanced than any camera could ever hope to be. The major ability that a human eye has, that a camera does not, is the ability to adjust to light and dark areas at the same time. This is where your cameras exposure time comes into use. The only option you have with your camera is to get the dark areas, the light areas, or a compromise, that allows you to get the highest possible tonal range, without over or under exposing the image. HDR allows you to get a vast range that you could not normally get from a single exposure.

Once I learned how to utilize the HDR techniques, they provided me with a very useful tool, that I now use in a majority of my photographs. Though it is best to take at least three exposures to create HDR images, it is possible to create them from a single image. The best time to do so is when it is not possible to take three exposures, due to movement in the background, or any other thing that may make it difficult to capture three exposures without movement. In my case, this was with a photo that was taken six months before I had the slightest idea what HDR photography was. This photo was one of my early photos taken just about a month after getting my first DSLR camera and I was still learning how to make the best out of my camera. This shot was taken shortly after a heavy rain, from an overlook of the New River Gorge Bridge, in West Virginia. The Sun had begun to emerge from the clouds, making it difficult to avoid over exposing a large portion of the sky. Figure 1.

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workshop

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Creating an HDR image from a single jpg, is fairly simple to accomplish, but you will need a program called Photomatix for the HDR processing, available from www.hdrsoft.com, which comes in a stand alone application as well as a Photoshop plug-in. I will be using the stand alone version for this tutorial, but the same rules will apply with the plug-in version. You will need to open up your image and create two additional images from your original, by going to the “adjustments” tab and selecting “exposure”. Once you have opened up the exposure dialog box, you will want to change the exposure to -2, for your first image and +2 for the second image. Once finished, you should end up with one original photo and two copies at their respective exposures (Figure 1, Figure 2). Once you have finished creating your multiple exposures, you will move on to creating an HDR image using Photomatix, which is were the bulk of the work will take place. You can also create an HDR image in Photoshop, via the” Merge to HDR” on the automate tab. I personally find it much easier to utilize Photomatix for the HDR processing and Photoshop for the final processing of the image.

You will choose, “Generate HDR Image” to load your images for processing (Figure 3). You will most likely be prompted to manually choose the EV value when loading the images, so just make sure they are set to the proper EV level, for each of your three photos (Figure 4). Once you have made your way through the prompts, you will end up with an HDR image, ready for tone mapping. Tone mapping, is the process of formatting the image in a format that a CRT or LCD monitor can display. This will allow you to finish up your image in Photoshop just like any other image (Figure 5). There are many settings to work with in Photomatix, (so, I recommend taking your time to explore and learn how each of them effect the final product. The last part of the process is finishing up in Photoshop, HDR images usually have a great deal of noise, so that will definitely need to be taken care of, as well as any other final adjustments that you desire. by D.T. Stephenson

Figure 6.

Figure 5.

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Figure 4.

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The Eyes Have It! Follow these six simple steps and make your subject’s eyes truly the window into their soul. The steps below detail a normal eye optimization workflow. The main adjustments are based on tonal changes from the Curves Adjustment Layers.

the eyes Figure 1.

Figure 3.

Figure 2.

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ortunately, the techniques require no curve changes though since all lightening and darkening is accomplished with Layer Blend modes. After each step be sure to perform a Before and After comparison. Click the Layer Visibility Icon on either the Layers Panel or Adjustments Panel to toggle your adjustment on and off. Modify the effect with the Brush or lower the Layer opacity.

You will find it much simpler to retouch the eyes (and to retouch in general) if you use a tablet and stylus instead of a mouse. At LIGHT, we recommend the Wacom Intuous 4 tablet for all retouching and masking.

Step One – Darken and/or Enlarge the Pupils

Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer by clicking the Curves icon on the Adjustment panel. Rename the Layer Pupils.

Figure 5.

Figure 4.

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Figure 6.

Figure 7.

Step Three – Brighten the Iris

Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer. Rename the Layer Iris-Whole and change the Layer Blend mode to Screen. Invert the Layer Mask by typing Ctrl/Cmd + I. Size the brush to fit between the pupil and the outer edge of the iris. Paint white with the Brush set to 30% opacity all around the iris. Fine tune the level of brightening with additional brush strokes of white or black (Figure 5).

Step Four – Iris Hue and Saturation

Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Rename the Layer Iris Color. We want to clip this layer to the underlying Iris–Whole layer by clicking the Click to Clip Layer icon at the lower left of the Adjustments Panel. For non-CS4 users, hold the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key down and move your cursor onto the line between the Iris Color and Iris-Whole layers. When the cursor changes click the mouse button and the clipping will take effect (Figure 6). Adjust the Saturation slider to modify the intensity of the Iris color and move the Hue slider to change eye color (Figure 7/8).

Step Five – Add an Iris Moon

Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer. Rename the Layer Iris Moon and change the layer blend mode to Screen. Invert the layer mask. Often the iris is brightest exactly opposite the specular highlight. With the brush, paint white at 30% opacity in a crescent moon shape on the iris across from the specular highlight (Figure 9).

Step Six – Darken the Outer Iris

Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer. Rename the Layer Iris Darken and change the layer blend mode to Multiply. Invert the layer mask.

Figure 8.

Change the Layer Blend Mode from Normal to Multiply. Invert the Layer Mask by typing Ctrl + I (Windows) or Cmd + I (Mac.) CS4 users may also click the Invert button on the Masks panel (I still find it more efficient to use the Keyboard Shortcut.) (Figure 1). Remember not to adjust anything on the Curve itself (Figure 2). Select the Brush Tool (soft edge, normal blend mode, 100% opacity, 100% flow, and airbrush off.) Select white as the foreground color and paint the pupils of the image to darken them approximately 1-stop. You may elect to enlarge the pupils slightly by painting a little onto the iris. This will give a softer look to the eye (Figure 3).

Step Two – Amplify the Specular Highlights

Create a new Curves Adjustment Layer. Rename the Layer Highlights. Change the Layer Blend Mode from Normal to Screen. Invert the Layer Mask by typing Ctrl/Cmd + I. Select the Brush Tool with the same settings as above but 50% opacity. Paint with white and brighten the specular highlights. The specular highlights are the reflections of the primary light source often referred to as catchlights. You may paint over the highlights multiple times to continue building towards 100% opacity (Figure 4).

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Figure 9.

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the eyes Figure 10.

Figure 11.

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

Paint with white at no more than 5 – 10% opacity around the outer edge of the iris. This will darken it slightly. Be careful on this adjustment. If you go too far you can always lower the Layer opacity (Figure 10).

Organization

When you are finished with all six steps the Layers panel might become a little large and confusing (Figure 11). To effectively manage the eye retouching, select all of the eye adjustment layers by clicking the Iris Darken layer and Shift + click on the Pupil layer. With all layers highlighted drag them to the New Group icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Rename the Group Eyes (Figure 12/13). This will separate the eye retouching and allow a simple before and after comparison by clicking the group visibility icon. If you think the effect is too strong you may reduce the Group opacity or go back and fine tune the individual layers. Once familiar with the six steps you may want to create an action to build the group for you. After the action is run, all you need to do is paint onto the individual layer masks and fine tune. by Hal Schmitt

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software review

Lightbox

Photo Gallery Software L

ightbox Photo™ Gallery Software is an awesome, very feature rich and affordable solution for photographers, artists and artisans to display and sell their work online. Lightbox Photo Gallery Software takes care of all of the presentation and eCommerce, so you can setup your own stock photo library or online proofing system and stop paying commissions to third party providers. Lightbox Photo™ Gallery provides a cross platform server side solution which is compatible with all major operating systems including Mac OS, Windows and Linux. To setup your own stock photo library you only need PHP 4.3.1 or later, MySQL 3.23 or later, Apache 1.3 or later or IIS Server, Zend Optimizer v.3 or later and ImageMagick, which all come standard with most hosting providers. Lightbox Photo™ Gallery is a full featured online gallery maker and digital asset manager, that gives you the ability to auto generate thumbnails, watermark images, utilize a dynamic user registration system, view images in a slide-

display a variety of media formats (images, video, audio), XMP format IPTC support, and offer a variety of products (including instant downloads) with a fully integrated shopping cart and secure online payment processing. Now Lightbox also supports Credit, Duration and Package subscriptions. According to feature specifications, Lightbox Photo™ Gallery is categorized into three versions. • • •

The Standard Version contains the core functionality of the Lightbox Photo™ software; the Professional Version has some more advanced features than the Standard Version but lacks some the most advanced features offered in the Enterprise Version. The Enterprise Version is the most advanced version among the three and it contains all available features of the Lightbox Photo™ Gallery software.

show, user lightboxes, integrated Rights Managed pricing calculator, batch upload of media, advanced search features,

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Standard Version Professional Version Enterprise Version

Description

eCommerce Photo Gallery Software for creating live portfolios and to sell photos and artwork.

Features

Multi-language selector, Media Utilities, Blacklisted IP Management, Multi-Photographer (Contributor) manager, Remote storage of downloads, CSV export of sales reports, Search engine friendly URLs, Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional, Upload from your cell phone and more...

Software Requirements

PHP 4.3.1 or later, MySQL 3.23.58 or later, Apache 1.3 or later or IIS Server, Zend Optimizer v.3 or later and ImageMagick

Platform Support

Mac OS, Windows and Linux

Version

Standard Version, Professional Version, Enterprise Version

Payment Gateway

PayPal, Authorize.net, WorldPay, Linkpoint, Chase Paymentech, BeanStream and more...

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lightbox photo gallery software www.lightboxphoto.com • •

• • •

•

Multi-language selector gives you the ability to offer your users additional languages to select from. Lightbox SEO makes possible the optimization of the dynamic content of your Lightbox Photo™ system, allowing search engines to crawl your site more effectively and therefore add more content to their databases. Virtual image assignment gives the admin the ability to assign the same media to multiple categories from one physical media file. Quick media preview feature allows the user to view the media and its properties by moving their cursor over the thumbnail image providing a quick method to view media information. POP3 media gives you an easy way to add media to your database. It also allows your contributors to upload images to the gallery directly from their mobile phones (assuming they have a camera on their phone). Smarty Template engine gives the administrator even more flexibility to customize the gallery appearance.

Features: • •

• •

• • •

Password Protected Categories to restrict access to individual galleries by requiring the user to input an admin generated username and password. Media utilities, which let you edit your media from within the gallery admin area. You can perform many editing functions on your media such as renaming, moving deleting, cropping, rotating, resizing, as well as image adjustments like brightness, and contrast. Rights Managed license pricing calculator can be used to create and assign Rights Managed licenses for your digital media. Credit system gives your customers a convenient method of purchase. The administrator can set credit amounts for each media item and then your customers can purchase the media via prepurchased credits instead of a credit card at checkout time. Product options allow you to add accessories to your product such as matting or frames as an add-on to your product sale. Product packages enable you to put together groups of media products and sell them for a set price. IPTC Support allowing embedded metadata to be imported into the site’s search engine.

Cost:

Lightbox Photo™ Gallery is very effective solution. The Standard edition is $399, the Professional is $599, and the Enterprise is $999 with the unbranded versions going for an additional $100. With the Unbranded version, you don’t have to keep the „Powered by Lightbox Photo™ Gallery Software” at the bottom of the page.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a handy software application which provides you more time to concentrate on your work and help you to avoid the headache of presentation, organization and critical things of eCommerce, Lightbox Photo™ Gallery Software is an awesome solution for you. It helps you to setup an eCommerce web portal to sell your images and artwork very efficiently. Lightbox Photo™ Gallery Software is the perfect tool for you. The powerful admin control panel gives you all that you will need to create a dynamic and exciting gallery. Visit www.lightboxphoto.com for full feature specifications.

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software review

FlippingBook – Flash Page Flip Engine F

lippingBook – Flash Page Flip Engine by http://page-flip.com/ is one of best and easyto-use professional desktop editor for creating flash flip books with the page turn effect from your PDF files. This is a standalone windows desktop application and helps you to produce remarkable online and offline Flash books with page turn effects. FlippingBook helps us to design a highly Customizable Flip book Interface with Fixed or Liquid Sizing. To design a flip book you need to simply import your PDF, You can also use image (JPEG, PNG, and GIF) and SWF files as book contents. Configure the look and feel and hit the publish button. You need not worry about Content Protection, because FlippingBook is highly secured. The FlippingBook book also provides Offline standalone .EXE books support, so it’s very convenient to read books offline or use it for auto run CDs/DVDs publishing. FlippingBook provides some cool feature like one click Pages Printing option, Book Zooming to keeps originality of the contents read book easily and efficiently, one click PDF download and many more. Using FlippingBook is like taking a seep of coffee. You do not need any kind of coding experience, a single line ActionScript syntax or knowledge of Adobe Flash. FlippingBook is an Independence solution and you are not tied to the other's servers and complex costing like per-pages costs. All files are stored on your server and you do not depend on anybody. The system requirements to your site are minimal. You do not need PHP, ASP, mySQL or any other server applications to be installed. Also it provides effective Memory management so the big catalog will not occupy hundreds of megabytes of PC memory. FlippingBook PDF Publisher can be easily integrated to any existing design and brand style. You can use a great variety of book interface settings. With all such good features wide range of help documentation and online support is available for you free of cost 24x7. FlippingBook PDF Publisher comes up with two versions. Basic Version

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comes up with No EXE Books which costs you €199 with 2 websites licences. Whereas Professional FlippingBook PDF Publisher supports EXE Books, 9 websites licences cost only €299.

Conclusion

FlippingBook – Flash Page Flip Engine is a very tool for generate the realistic page flip effect with some clicks. If you want to start a online magazine or want to publish your catalog or a self written book. FlippingBook is the best solution for you. by Chetankumar Akarte

Description

Flash flip books with the page turn effect from your PDF files.

Features

Customizable Interface, Printing Pages, Fixed or Liquid Sizing, Book Zooming, PDF Download, Flexible Setup, Offline EXE books support and Content Protection

OS Requirements

Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP

Platform

Windows

Software

Flash Page Flip Engine

Cost

Basic Version – €199 and Professional – €299

02/2009

Photography is fantastic A

t a single moment, it captures our memories, wishes, emotions, hidden desires, wonderful moment, everyday monotony. It may be a guilty conscience of both the individual and the nation. It is an image of time in a nutshell. An interview without words. It has capability to convince or discourage. You cannot missed photo and will hardly forget a good one... and therefore, I continue making my efforts to mediate a dialogue between those behind the camera and those in front of the camera. says Romana Jelínková W. owner and director of allphoto. Allphoto, one of the pioneers in the area of supply of professional images in the Czech market, was established in 1992 and has gained one of the leading position in the Czech and Slovak markets. Since 2004, allphoto has been a member of the CEPIC, (Coordination of European Picture Agencies Press Stock Heritage), and has been extending his activities on an international level. Allphoto offers complete professional services with an emphasis on personal approach to individual customers. We know that the basis of a successful image bank at present consists in wide and varied offers of image materials and perfectly working websites, and as such, we extend our offer every day by hundreds of new high-quality images. In cooperation with colleagues of ageFotostock, Spain, our specialists continuously work on innovations in order to improve and enhance effectiveness of our on-line service and functionality of the e-commerce web site www.allphoto-online.com. At present, allphoto represents one of the most numerous collections. Clients from all over the world can search and buy for more then 4,5 million premier images. Most of the offered images are at a size of no less than 50 MB, with guaranteed data and text information quality. Since the range of our photobank’s clients is wide, we offer a few possibilities of how to acquire professional images: The Right Managed (“RM”) licenses are issued for one-shot use with a possibility to additionally purchase the rights of further use. In order for you to negate any risk of duplication of the selected image by a competitive or any other company, there is a possibility of acquiring the exclusivity, which will ensure that your image is unique within a given field, time or territory. If you need to use an image across an advertising campaign, we have flexible individual licensing options too. For this flexible licenses is necessary to contact our sales team. If you however prefer the flexibility or illimitability as to the time, quantity or territory, it is appropriate to elect just the purchase of Royalty Free (“RF”) images. By purchasing this license, you will acquire the right of unlimited use, however without any exclusivity. Apart from the individual RF images, it is also possible to buy on-line virtual CD collections. Last but not the least possibility which allphoto can offer you is the subscription of royalty-free images. At a lump-sum price, you will acquire access to tens of thousands of professional royalty-free images. Trained personnel with multi-year experience and perfect knowledge of represented collections will be glad to help you choose requested images. Romana Jelínková W. and the sales team

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interview with...

Interview with Rob Shields Rob Shields, the self-trained Philadelphia based fashion illustrator takes a moment to explain his changing view of what it means to be a designer as well as his plans for expansion in 2009.

I found myself gravitating toward the world of fashion illustration which allowed me to target my audience more accurately but also made me realize what kind of work I had to do in order to begin designing for the music industry. These are the two industries I have set out to design for from the beginning and now that I have established myself in the first I have a little more freedom to devote to the other. I think its important to know what you want and to be realistic about it while at the same time making sure you don’t limit yourself to any one style or industry. As for how I became involved in the design industry, it was definitely not something that I had intended to do. I graduated in 2004 with a BS in psychology and no intention of working in that field. I knew I wanted to do something creative and at first this took the form of writing. By 2006 it was clear that I was more interested in manipulating

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do and how you became involved in the design industry. My name is Robert Shields, I am a 27 year old designer form the east coast and I have been designing for a little over three years now. I suppose I should also mention that I am a fashion illustrator though this has only been a relatively recent development for me. In 2008 I began to recognize that my work was increasingly influenced by the fashion industry and so I began to market myself more specifically as a fashion illustrator. People often speak about having a personal style. On the business side of the design world this translates into having a specific industry to work with. We all work for the design industry of course but there are different categories within that blanket term.

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visual elements. Making the initial decision to become an artist was really frightening. I had no formal training and felt like I was six years behind. Its funny how society puts these expectations on young people to be at a certain place in life by a certain time. Despite the initial fear of pursing a creative career things have gone as well or better than I expected. So here I am three years later publishing articles in PSD magazine! I am a big believer in the idea of persistence. If you really want to do something you just have to keep motivated, keep learning and keep working. If you do these things and happen to have a little luck everything else will fall into place eventually.

that I didn’t really intend to do, it was just something that attracted me and I thought ‘ok lets see where this goes’ and so far I haven’t been disappointed. I actually feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to do the work I do, its seem more like a gift that a choice.

You talk about your style changing, how did you develop your personal style and what advice do you have for people trying to break into the industry? The one definitive rule to remember when developing a style is that there are no definitive rules. In a world of ever increasing technological speed it is possible to teach yourself how to do almost anything and how to work for almost anyone. This can at times seem to be both a blessing and a curse. The rise of online learning opportunity is creating in the design industry an increasing need for inter-disciplinary skills. And I am not talking about online degrees or online schools. I am talking about the opportunity for anyone to teach themselves about almost anything. Today among design professionals I feel that there is a growing assumption that a good designer should be well versed in design, illustration, and typography. There is also a growing trend that expects a better understanding of 3D rendering and animation. This is to say nothing of web design. I feel it is important for designers to be aware of

You consider yourself a fashion illustrator and looking at your portfolio it is clear why this label is accurate. Why have you chosen to make the kinds of images that you do? You know, its funny. I was just in a book shop the other day looking through the new fashion magazines and I stopped and thought to myself, how did I end up working in the fashion world So I suppose it is something that is hard to pin down. My style has been changing over the years and I guess it has just gravitated toward more fashion oriented images. The subject matter I deal with is sometimes dark and moody which I think is an obvious connection to the fashion world. Another obvious connection is my use of the female figure. This is another thing

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these different disciplines and to work until they can incorporate them naturally into their own work process, naturally being the key word here. This level of interdisciplinary skill affects more than the design world. A point of advice for all aspiring designers, being a designer is not just about knowing how to design. Knowing how to design is going to help of course but if you are going to sell your work to clients you have to know what is happening in the world around you. In other words, you have to know what people want to buy. At the same time of course it is important to stay true to yourself. Take time to pursue your own interests outside of your design work. This will help you to incorporate more ideas into your design. I myself am pursuing an MA for Media and Communication beginning this summer in Switzerland. Going to school isn’t going to win more clients or even improve my Photoshop skills but it will help me grow as an artist and that is essential to the success of any creative career. To develop a personal style start by understanding what is hot in the design world. Then be confident enough in your own sensibilities and do what you think looks good within the larger context of current design trends. In a market that is increasingly being filled with imitators it is important to have that unique element that stands out as your own specific style. Sooner or later the style you’ve been honing all this time

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will become relevant whether it incorporates the current trends or not. In fact if its truly well developed it will set the trends rather than following them. This I think is the goal of any self respecting designer and one that I still think about on a daily basis. Being able to see the trends and how they relate to your work is an important aspect of what a designer does. For me knowing what my work is and what my work isn’t has been a great milestone which has led me in a number of new directions.

So in this market of imitators that you speak of how does a designer keep their style fresh while still making sure it is recognizable as their own personal style? This balancing act between establishing an identity and maintaining a fresh and vital approach to your design process is one of the biggest hurdles that any designer will have to face. The basic idea is to push your boundaries without knocking them out completely. Clients want to know what I do best, that is what they are going to hire me for. On the other hand I know that diversifying my market is only possible if I diversify my portfolio. A general rule of thumb that I follow here is this: work in as many styles as you like but only if those styles are strong. There is going to be a point where too many styles means a lack of quality in any given style. It’s the classic case of quality over quantity. A good way to defend against this is to find ways to integrate new techniques into an

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interview with rob shields

already existent style. Instead of looking for new styles I look for new ways to work within my own style. I am now just beginning to work on improving my 3D rendering skills for example but this doesn’t mean I’m going to become a strict abstract artist. Instead I’d like to incorporate these new renders into my old style and as a result breathe new life into it. This will shake things up a bit, show people what I am capable of and all without making my work seem disjointed. Also I intend to work more with creating my own unique organic typography to further distinguish my style form other. The final and perhaps most complicated process is the process of becoming a stronger conceptual artist.

Tell us a little bit about your work process? How long does it take to finish a piece? Well I have no set work process. I approach each new project without any kind of preconceived process. Some artists like to sketch before they work but that was never my kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong I don’t just jump into a project without thinking. If I am working with a client I make sure to ask plenty of questions about what it is they want. I also ask if they have any examples that they can show me or any specific stylistic elements that they’d like to see in the project. Then I go into Photoshop and work up a rough image. This will take about an hour or two. This for all intents and purposes is the only sketch that I will do. Sometimes I will come up with multiple rough drafts or sketches in this manner. I think its very important to keep the client involved during the conception process. This way you don’t do a ton of work on something just to hear them say This looks great but its not what we had in mind. Once the basic composition or idea behind the image is selected I will then go through the process of completing the image with additional details and special effects. Working on a piece for a client can take anywhere from a week to a month to a year. It depends on how many images are needed and how many different versions of each image the client needs. Personal work on the other hand is a different story. Again I don’t like to have any kind of idea in my mind before I begin working. Instead of a set idea I have a jumping off point. This can be anything from a song to a phrase to a single word. My work for the new era art group Anothera (which you can visit at www.anothera.net) is based on a theme such as origin. There are almost limitless possibilities when it comes to finding this starting point. The next step when making an image is to find the right stock art. People who say ‘your work is only as good as your stock art’ make a good point. There

will of course be times when the majority of an image is created organically but usually at least some stock photography is used. It is important to find an image that inspires you and has a level of quality equal to the level of quality you want to work with. Once I have the basic photographic elements of the design I will play around with the image changing the composition until I feel it looks right. This is a process that usually will go on for a period of days. Once the composition is in place I will then add details until I feel the piece is finished. Knowing when a piece is finished is probably the hardest skill I had to acquire. I’ve learned that it is important to let a piece sit for a while before you decide if its really finished. I put it up on my desktop for a day or so and after looking at it for that long if I can still stand the sight of it I decide that its good enough to be finished. Another good tip is to flip the canvas to get a new perspective on the composition. If it still looks good you know its ready for print.

You mention music as an inspiration, where else do you find your inspiration? I think the most common answer to this question is everywhere. Which ok yea its true there are a lot of places to find inspiration, music, books, movies, street signs, fortune cookies….whatever you want to say. This isn’t really helpful though so I would prefer to say I find inspiration in other designers. I like to visit Deviant Art or the Behance Network. There are also a ton of blogs out there that will bring the inspiration to you, Abduzeedo is a good example and a site that I like to visit regularly. The internet is the new window into the design world. I mean its not only the internet but a good deal of my inspiration comes from the digital world, which seems fitting to me. No one designs in a vacuum. There is a design community out there and all designer establish or not are a part of it.

What is one thing about your work that you would like to improve upon in the coming year? Well, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea that there are two kinds of designers: conceptual artist and visual artist. Basically a conceptual artist has great ideas but not so hot execution while a visual designer is the opposite. So its either you’ve got brains and no looks or you’ve got looks and no brains. Why, I wonder, is it so hard for people to believe that someone can have both? I am speaking strictly in metaphors of course. But what I mean to say is, I would like to try to move toward improving both of these elements in my work. I want stronger visuals and stronger ideas. I want to be able to marry the empty cinematic effects of big budget Hollywood with the poignant sensibilities found in the independent industry. Also I’d like to continue to find older and more obscure referencing to incorporate into my work. On a somewhat related note I have a few international trips this year which I would like to use to find more global inspiration. South America and India I find have a particularly interesting sense of color. Thank you for your time, we wish you all the best!

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contributing writers

Erik Bont

cover artist

Arturo Ayala

In every picture Erik takes, he wants the audience to feel the expression of the emotions which have forced his mind, his heart and his soul to do this shot. He loves to shock, fascinate and amaze the audience with his emotional shots, all feelings of erik combined in one picture. www.erikbont.com

My name is Arturo Ayala, I’m 24 and I’m from Caracas, Venezuela.I am in the 9th semester of Design and Visual Communication Engineering at La Universidad Tecnológica América in Quito, Ecuador. I like photography and everything relating to retouching and photographic manipulations. http://flickr.com/photos/arturoayala/ http://arturovz.deviantart.com/ Credtis to Juan Ayala

Hal Schmitt Fabiano Uesler and Silvana Rudolf

Hal Schmitt is the Director and Lead Instructor of LIGHT Photographic Workshops (formerly The Lepp Institute.) Hal instructs all levels of photography and digital imaging in California and around the world. He is a former FA-18 pilot and two-time TOPGUN instructor. Visit Hal at www.LightWorkshops.com for more information.

Fabiano Uesler and Silvana Rudolf are from Blumenau City, Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. E-Mail: [email protected]

Krist Adams Krist is Director of Media and Communications for Randall Grier Ministries and works as a parttime graphic freelancer. He has his Bachelors in Electronic Media Communication and has been working in art ever since he’s been able to hold a crayon. He resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA with his wife and son. You can check out more of his work at http://www.3ndesigns.com

Ceren Aksungur Ceren Aksungur – Illustrator&Graphic Designer Web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolce_babanne/ Mail: [email protected] Born in Istanbul – Turkey (1982) Graduated from graphic design department of MSU Fine Art College in Istanbul (2000-2008). Work as an art director for an interactive agency based in Istanbul and as a freelance illustrator/ designer.

D.T. Stephenson D.T. Stephenson is an aspiring 24 year old photographer, musician, and entrepreneur from central West Virginia, U.S.A. He has been a photographer and photo manipulator for about two years and enjoys learning every aspect of the art form as well as many other artistic pursuits. He is primarily a landscape and architectural photographer but he has goals of exploring about every aspect of photography.

Brian Grant Brian is currently the creative director of the Anisometric agency based in London, England, and he has over 15 years design experience. His clients include Microsoft, Sony, Coca Cola. www.anisometriclondon.co.uk

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Francisco Marambio

Timothy Lantz

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Timothy Lantz is a professional artist/Illustrator. He is the creator of The Archeon Tarot, available from U.S. Games Systems Inc., and has worked for a variety of publishers including: DC Comics, ACE/Penguin Books, Bantam, Pocket Books, Juno Books, EDGE Books, AEG, Wildside Press and more. To view his portfolio, please visit: http: //www.stygiandarkness.com

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Designer in Visual Communication. Assistant teacher in Technologic Metropolitan University (UTEM) Santiago, CHILE, Multimedia Expression class, in the major of Design in Visual Communication. Nowadays working as Animator and Graphic Designer. Site: http://francisco2236.deviantart.com

Kasam Shaffi Photography has been Kasam’s passion from a young age having studied fashion photography and recently completeing a BA hons degree in Information Design, He has photographed a wide range of subjects, from heute couture, portraiture, wedding & occassion to beauty. Kasam has an eye for capturing his subject along with professional technical skills to manipulate and produce stunning images. www.kasamphotography.weebly.com

Radmin Malinic Radmin Malinic//Brand Nu is an award winning freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in London, the United Kingdom. Brand Nu is one of the most sought after, internationally renowned creative artists working today, with an extensive and diverse clientele. www.brandnu.co.uk

Shelby Lynn R.

If you would like to join our Team and are interested in becoming one of our authors please contact [email protected] www.photoshopretouchmag.com

My full name is Shelby Lynn R., I’m also known as shelby tragedy.! or shelbyxlala. Currently living in Morongo Valley, CA. My friends and family are everything I have, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Music is a huge part of my life, it gives me most of my inspiration. Art is my way of expressing my feelings to the world. I would like to thank everyone who enjoys my art, and for all their support and kindness. Thank you.

Editor in Chief: Marta Kobus [email protected] Executive Editor: Ewa Samulska [email protected] Copy Editors: Ed Werzyn, Dario Gomez, Roshan Abraham Art Director: Agnieszka Marchocka DTP: Ireneusz Pogroszewski, Przemysław Banasiewicz Art Executive Manager: Przemysław Banasiewicz Circulation and Distribution Executive: Ilona Lepieszka [email protected] Senior Consultant/Publisher/President: Paweł Marciniak Software Press CEO: Ewa Łozowicka Marketing Director: Marta Kobus [email protected]

Executive Ad Consultant: Ewa Samulska [email protected] Production Director: Andrzej Kuca [email protected] Postal addres: Publisher: Software Press Sp.z.o.o SK 02-682 Warszawa, ul. Bokserska 1 worldwide publishing www.photoshopretouchmag.com. Print: ArtDruk, Printed in Poland www.artdruk.com Distributed in the USA by: Source Interlink Fulfillment Division, 27500 Riverview Centre Boulevard, Suite 400, Bonita Springs, FL 34134 Phone: 239-949-4450 Distributed in Australia by: Gordon and Gotch, Australia Pty Ltd., Level 2, 9 Roadborough Road Locked Bag 527, NSW 2086 Sydney, Australia Phone: + 61 2 9972 8800 02/2008

All trade marks presented in the magazine were used only for informative purposes. All rights to trade marks presented in the magazine are reserved by the companies which own them. Mathematical formulas created by Design Science MathType™. The editors use automatic DTP system CDs tested by AntiVirenKit GDATA Software Sp. z o.o. Editorial contributions should be sent to: [email protected] Subscriber changes sent to [email protected] Customer Service +1 917 338 3631 The Software Press Sp.z.o.o SK works individually from Adobe. The Photoshop Retouch team reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of the information provided by contributors. 93

interview with...

Interview with

Brand Nu Radmin Malinic // Brand Nu is an award winning freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in London, the United Kingdom. Brand Nu is one of the most sought after, internationally renowned creative artists working today, with an extensive and diverse clientele. www.brandnu.co.uk

extra spot uv elements with inner 64 pages printed in 20micron to be almost photo quality like.The printers commissioned extra copies for themselves and they thought it showcased their print qualities too. The book is now available to buy via www.brandnu.co.uk or through galleries and art shops in London.

Talk about Book of Colours. Why did you decide to put out this showcase of your art? Does the book sport any interesting design features?

How did you develop the signature aesthetic that characterizes much of your work?

My work, under the Brand Nu moniker, has been used in various media formats, however, most of my work is still for print. I love the printed first hand experience, it could push your abilities and final results a lot further. Book of Colours is an exercise of pure freedom showcasing where I am artistically, as a designer and illustrator. In the times where the internet becomes overcrowded with tons of website, it's still crucial to step back and consider the trusted routes. The collection of work in Book of Colours provides anyone from any background with a perfect image of my style and past achievements. I would almost be a shame not to do a book of the work that I enjoyed creating. The final article has got 8 page cover,

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I guess everything is amalgamation of happy accidents, encounters, curiousity and influences. There should always be the need for any artist to push the envelope further and further and not stand still. I don't think there's a formula to go by to create something different. If I was to sum it up, I like nice things and therefore my work isn't finished until I like it, until I feel it's looking great.

What are some challenges to designing print ads? In many ad campaigns you have to bear in mind various file adaptations to ensure you supply the client with the right goods. The whole process is mainly handled by an ad agency, who try to bridge you and the client

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Interview with Brand Nu

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in the most effective way. There's various obstacles in the process, none of them too challenging though, at least I believe so. In the end of the day, this is the job As long as the brief is clear and the direction is firmly set, the process could be smooth all the way.

Take us through your creative process. What kind of tools and software do you use? What do you need prepared before you begin a new project? The majority of my work is created on the system. The Quad 2.66 MacPro along with 30" & 20" cinema screens and A3 Wacom tablet create my arsenal of technical tools. Creative Suite 4 is the product of choice, with most of the time spent in Photoshop and Illustrator. Although I have been collecting tons of brushes, stock photos and vector shapes, depending on a project I could start by looking for the right shapes and textures, taking notes from the brief to see what would suit. Sometimes retouching and post prod is needed on the elements photography is required too. It's good to cover every corner before the master PSD document is created.

What kind of information do you ask for from a client before you begin to work on a project? Working with bigger clients helps a lot as they have clear idea of the final requirements. In those

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Interview with Brand Nu

cases, you all need is to clarify a few points and it's off to get creative. Other questions are mainly mechanical, finished sizes, print finishing, extra colours and more.

Your design, to me, resembles a visual representation of music. What music do you listen to, if any, while working? Well, where's to start? I used to be a club dj, played in a various bands and music has been an essential part of my life. I love working with bands and artists on their projects shaping up their ideas. Also in 2008 I've started Nu Visual Language, an experimental collaboration projects where I assigned a music track to an artist, 12 in total, to trigger their inspiration. The whole show was a great success. You can still see more info at www.nuvisuallanguage.co.uk. Whilst working, I tend to drift from various styles, be it drum'n'bass, nu jazz, minimal house or dirty rock, it's always a noisy hours here. Also, there's a great feeling getting albums before their general release, it's wicked.

There is a sense of overflow, stimulation, and abundance to your work. What kind of experience do you like viewers to have when they look at your art? 02/2009

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I like to wow people, to give them something exciting to look at. As mentioned earlier, there's tons of great digital artist showcasing fierce technical skills, it's my upmost priority to shout about the differences about what I do.

What are some tools that you use to play with light and color within your work? Do you have any preferences in terms of how you contrast color? I never have a plan, maybe a start up idea but that'd be it. Although I use the latest software versions I don't venture into many presets or filters. Frankly, I just use the standard colour palette and make use of Hue Saturation to get the right vibrancy I wish to achieve.

What are some dream projects that you would like to work on in the future? Is there a medium that you would like to work in that you haven’t yet, or do you see yourself as primarily a designer for print? I've worked with some great household name clients on a range of amazing and diverse projects. There's a ton of other brands that I would be happy to work for, I believe the possibilities are endless. As much as I look for new opportunities, I make sure the right people come across my work, to make them stop and consider me for their upcoming projects. I would like to experiment in motion and interactive tools, but it all depends on available time.

Many freelancers, while branding a product or campaign, also find a way to represent their own personal brand in their work. Is there a challenge to enhancing the identity/enforcing the narrative of a client’s product, while also establishing your own identity and image as a designer? Do the two interests ever come into conflict? It's a tricky one, quite a tricky one. Being considered by client and ad agency you have to hit the right notes in your previous work. There's a huge chance you might not need to compromise too much. Nonetheless, I've been in situation where I've been pushed in different direction due to some unexplained decisions. Thought, if I think about it, it's the question of the established style that must shine through.

How has the financial hardship of many magazines affected your print output? Overall I think the situation is still the same as it's ever been. Editorial commissions and tutorials are coming in on regular basis. I guess editors are more careful about who they commission and what budgets they can free up. All in all, I don't think the magazine situation hasn't changed much. It will take a lot for magazines to cease.

How do you promote your work? (besides appearing in magazines like this one, of course) What’s your advice for young designers who are trying to get their work seen? I try any possible channels available, the showcase books, website, forums, blogs, networking, agent representation, postcards and whatmore else. You need to give to get. It's easy to get stuck in and not pay much attention to new possible leads when things are busy. It's crucial to keep the pace with what going around you. Design industry is producing some amazing talent, everyone will be discovered when they are ready to cut the work with some big clients. Everyone seems to be longing to work with Coca Cola, Nike etc ... but learn to slow down and make sure you know the ground. by Roshan Abraham

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