Practical Photoshop Sampler

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HannahGalAward-winningcreative

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MeetyourPhotoshopgeniuses…

BenBrainBenhasusedPhotoshop

sincetheearly90’s,findingitvitalforhisartphotography

andduringhispreviouscareerasaprophotographer.Check outhisguidetomakingX-raystyleimagesonpage66.

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portraitpro,ourtechniqueeditorhasusedPhotoshop

onadailybasisforthepastdecade.Followhistutorialoncreatingafantasylandscapeonpage68.

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author,Stevehashisphotomontagework

publishedworldwide.This issueseeshimrecreateBridgetRiley-styleartworkonpage76.

AliJenningsAlihasbeenusing

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Future’sphotographyportfolio.ReadhisexpertguidetotheColourHalftoneFilteronpage64.

September 2011 PracticalPhotoshop 3

Get Inspired…Every issueofPracticalPhotoshop ispackedwith

fresh ideasandexpertadvicetohelpyou improveyourPhotoshopskills.Be inspiredbythebestnewimagery inourWorldofPhotoshopsectionand letourtechniqueguidesteachyouhowtocreateyourownwithourtutorials inthemagazineandonourDVD.

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Welcometo…

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LevelsandCurvescanseemdauntingtotheuninitiated.However, theyaren’tnearlyasscaryastheyfirstappearwhich iswhywe’vededicatedthismonth’smainfeaturetoshowingyouallyouneedtoknowinourultimateguide.Whetheryou’restrugglingwith

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Use theimages ontheDVD!t D!

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Get creative withLEVELS&CURVES24Everythingyouneedtoknowabout

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88ArtHistoryBrushpainting

Emailusat [email protected] jointhediscussionatwww.facebook.com/practicalphotoshop

Well done to all involved increating a new, refreshing and

hopefully very successfulmagazine inthese uncertain times.I love the in-depth tutorials, and

even though I’ma relative beginner, Iwill be trying each one.I especially enjoyedwatching the

video byDavidCole and look forwardto seeingmore tutorials fromhim.I have also taken advantage of your

offer andhave taken out asubscription,mainly because I alwaysbuymagazines late and alwaysmissthe competition deadlines.Hopefully,now I’ll getmy copy early andhaveplenty of time to enter.One last point, I hope that youwill

Iwritewith regard to the letterfromBrianThompson in Issue 3

ofPractical Photoshop (“Basic photoskills are slowly dying away”).I canunderstandwhereBrian is

coming fromwithhis basics, but it’s adying philosophy.Wehad the sameargumentwhendigital started takingover fromfilm: the idea that digital tookthe art out of taking a photo.However, I do feel that I am still a

beginner after at least five years if notmore and still try to get it rightin-camera to save time inPhotoshoplater. I have even enrolled in a course tobettermyself and “visualise”what I’mgoing to take beforehand.At the endof the day, Photoshop can

only do somuch. It can’t alwaysrestoremassively under or over-exposed images and can’tmake reallyblurry images clear.Imay bewrong, but I do feel Brian’s

confusing the rescuing of imageswithtweaking to improve a shot, just as peryour response in themagazine.AndrewMiller,Email

ReplyYou’reabsolutely right,Andrew.Sixorsevenyearsago, thedebateof themeritsof traditionalfilmstockversusdigital imagingwasat itspeak,nowit’snon-touchedupdigital shotsagainstPhotoshoppedones.We’re definitely inthecampthatbelievesPhotoshop isaforceforgoodnotevil!

continuewith the coverDVD, ashaving the tutorials andfiles toworkwith are a big bonus.Well done again, I look forward to

receivingmy copies in the post.DavidNightingale,Email

STARLETTER

It’shelpful includingimagesontheDVD

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ReplyThanksDavid. It’salwaysourintentiontomake itaseasyaspossiblefor readers torecreatethetutorialsandtheDVDvideo lessonsarevital inmakingthathappen.


Take thePracticalPhotoshopchallenge!

HowtoenterSimply load up the DVD andgo to the Resources section,

where you’ll find a selection ofclassic surreal objects. Use theseimages, plus any others on thedisc or of your own to createa work of surreal art. You canenter by email to [email protected] by sending a CD to:

Practical Photoshop, FuturePublishing, 30 Monmouth Street,Bath BA1 2BW.

Please give your finishedcreation a suitable title andsupply a couple of lines todescribe what you did and why.The closing date for entries is 21October, 2011. We look forwardto seeing your entries and we’llpublish the best in Issue 7.

What you can winInadditiontofeaturingthebest imageinPracticalPhotoshop,we’llalsogetit

professionallyframedbyWhiteWall–theleadingonlinegalleryforbespokephotographicprinting,mountingandframing.WhiteWall’seasy-to-usewebsiteallowsphotographersanddigitalartiststouploadtheirpicturesandselectfromavarietyofbeautifulfinishespreparedtogallerystandards.Seewww.whitewall.co.ukfordetails.

Every issuewe’ll set youa creative taskbasedona technique featured in the

magazine and thismonth’s challenge is inspiredbyourRenéMagritte tutorial.We’ve supplied a surrealist’s toolboxof images

on theDVD.Use themhowever you like, alongwith anyof theother tutorial files you’ll findonthedisc or evenyour own images, to create aweird andwonderfulmasterpiece.We’ve pieced together our owncreationusing

different images from thedisc, combining a fewof the techniques that are featured in thisissue’s tutorial pages.Now it’s your turn to get creative. Our favourite

imageswill be featured in Issue7, giving youplenty of time toenter, and theoverallwinnerwill have their imageprofessionally framed.Good luckwith the challenge –we’re looking

forward to receiving your entries!

Get surreal and enter this month’s reader challengefor the chance to win a great prize

READERCHALLENGE

Your challenge images… enter to How

nd a selection of where you’ll fithese Use objects. surreal classic

images, plus any others on the disc or of your own to create a work of surreal art. You can

enter by email to [email protected] or by sending a CD to:

Practical Photoshop, FutureStreet, Monmouth 30 Publishing,

Bath BA1 2BW.

nished Please give your fiand title suitable a creation

Use theimages ontheDVD!th D!

September2011 PracticalPhotoshop 21www.practicalphotoshopmag.com

Five top tips for…stunningsurrealart

SURREALART

01Makebizarrecomposites

Surrealartoftenjuxtaposesobjectsthathavenonaturalconnection,sotocreateamasterpiece inPhotoshopyou’llneedtogettogripswithbuildingcomposites.Learnhowtobringseveralimagestogether intoacohesivewhole inourtutorialonpage42.

02 Createacanvas

You’llneedasuitablecanvastouseasastartingpoint forall the imageelementsandeffects.WechosetocreateagreencurtainwiththeGradienttool.Findouthowit’sdoneonpage60.ThecurtainhasbeenblurredslightlywithFilter>LensBlur togiveasenseofdepth.

03 Tonetoperfection

Tonaladjustmentsareessential tweaksforanyimage,andcanreallyhelptomakeelementsgeltogether inacomposite.Turntothismonth’smainfeatureonpage24foreverythingyouneedtoknowabouttweakingtoneswith levelsandcurves inPhotoshop.

04 Fine-tuneforaddedrealism

Simplyplacingtheclawontopofthephone isn’tenough.We’veusedtheDodgeandBurntools toaddashadowforextrarealism.Thiswasappliedonaseparategreyfill layerset toBlendMode:Overlay.Findoutmoreaboutnon-destructivedodgingandburningonpage55.

WIN!Thebestimagewillbeframedtoaprofessional

standard

This isagreatopportunitytoaddfunflourishessuchasthesurreal touchesonthephone.The lettershavebeenchangedaroundbymakingsmall selections,atechniquesimilarlyusedtomakethe ‘treefaces’onthecoverand inthetutorialonpage68.Themorepeculiartheresults thebetter.

05Addoddflourishes


GETCREATIVEWITHLEVELSANDCURVES

Levels’morepowerful cousinCurvesgivesyouultimatecontrolover tones

INTRODUCINGCURVES

BEFORE

Use theimage ontheDVD!t D!

LikeLevels, Photoshop’s Curvescommandallowsyou toadjust tones,butwith fargreaterprecision. Levels is

likeadecorator’s roller compared toCurves’artistic paintbrush. Insteadof just threesliders,youhaveanarrayof intuitive control pointsthatallowyou tofine-tunedifferentvaluesalong the tonal range.Toaccess theCurvesDialogBoxgo to

Image>Adjustments>CurvesoralternativelyhitCmd/Ctrl+M. Alternatively, applyCurvesasanAdjustmentLayer. LikeLevels,we recommendyoualwaysapplyCurvesonanAdjustmentLayer for theextra control this givesyou. Ifyou’reunfamiliarwithCurves, then thecontrolsmay initially seema littledaunting, buta fewminutesofexperimentation is all that’s neededformostpeople tobecomecomfortable.Click anywherealong thediagonal line toadd

acontrol point.Drag thispointupwards tolighten the imageanddowntodarken it.Addmorepointsalong the line if you likeand

drag theseupordowntoalterdifferent tonalvalues. Inmost cases, you’ll rarelyneed toaddmore than threepoints.Along thebottomof thegridyouhaveablack

point andwhitepoint slider thatwork inexactlythesamewayas theydo inLevels.HoldAlt anddrag thesliders inwardsuntil theymeet theedgesof thehistogramto improve the tonalrangeandcheck for clippedpixels.

Curvesworkbyremappingthetonalvaluesdisplayedinthehistogram. Ifyouaddacontrolpointhalfwayalongthehorizontalaxisabovethecentreofthehistogramthendragthepointupto3/4ofthewayalongtheverticalaxis,you’reeffectivelychangingthetonesthatwereinitiallyhalfwaybetweenlightanddarkandmakingthem75%light01.Addasecondcontrolpointaquarterofthewayalongthe horizontalaxisanddragthisdowntomeetthediagonal lineandthetonesthatwere25%lightbeforeyoumadeyourfirstadjustmentwillberestoredtotheir initialtonalvalue02.Thesteeperthelineofthecurve,

thegreaterthecontrastwillbealongthisrangeoftones03. Ifthebottomortopofthecurveflattensagainstthebox,thenthetonesatthiscorrespondingpointinthehistogramwillbeclippedtopureblackorpurewhite04.

TOPTECHNIQUE CURVESEXPLAINED

Curves allow you tomake really precise tonal

adjustments to yourdigital images

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INTRODUCINGCURVES

THECURVESDIALOGBOXEXPLAINEDNote:ThisdiagramdisplaystheCurvesDialogBox.TheCurvesAdjustmentspanelshowsaslightlydifferentsetofoptions,butthekeyfeaturesremainthesameinboth.

18 DRAWCURVESThepencil icon

allowsyoutodrawalinebyhandthroughthebox. It’smostuseful ifyouholdShiftasyoudrawsoyoucangetstraightvertical,horizontalor45degree lines.CheckoutourcreativeCurvessectiononpage38toseehowthiscanbeusedtocreateasolarisedeffect.

17 EDIT POINTSTheeditpointsoption

ischeckedbydefaultandallowsyoutoclickoncontrolpointsandmovethemtoadjustthecurve.

02 SMOOTHUsethis in

conjunctionwiththepencil icontosmooththelinesofahand-drawncurve.

07 PREVIEWTogglethePreviewonoroffto

seehowyourchangesaffectthe image.

14 OUTPUTAND INPUT

VALUESAllowsyoutomanuallysetanoutputandinputvalueforeachcontrolpointonthecurve.

15 SHOWAMOUNTOF:

Bydefault, this issettoLight.Pigment/Ink%isuseful forcheckingthelevelsof inkrequiredforprinting.

16 EYEDROPPERSLiketheeyedroppers

inLevels,clickwithintheimageto interactivelyre-mapthetones.Setawhitepointandanyshades lighterthanthispointwillbeclippedtopurewhite.Theblackpointworks inasimilarway.Thegreypointallowsyoutoaltercoloursbychoosingatonetosetasneutralgrey.

13 HAND ICONHighlightthe

handiconthenclickwithinthe imagetoselectacertainshadeofpixel.Dragupordowntointeractively lightenordarkenall similarshades.You’ll seethecorrespondingpointalongthecurvereactasyoudrag.

06 OPTIONSAccessAutooptionstosettones

accordingtoautomatedequations.Thisbuttononlyappears intheDialogBox.Ifyou’reusingtheAdjustmentsPanel,Alt-clicktheAutoButton.

12 SHOWCustomise

theappearanceoftheCurvesDialogBoxwiththissetofcheckboxes.

10 SHOWCLIPPINGAhandycheckboxthatwill

showyoupixelsthatareclippingtopurewhiteorblack.Clickonthecontrolpointatthetoporbottomofthelinetoseehighlightsorshadows.

11 CONTROL POINTClicktoaddcontrolpoints

alongthe lineandthendragthepointstoadjustthetones.Youcanaddamaximumof16points.Togetridofone,drag itoutsidethebox.

09 DIAGONAL LINEThediagonal line isusedtoremaptones inan

imagetodifferentvalues.Thehorizontalaxisdisplaystheoriginal tonesandtheverticalaxisspecifieshowthetonesarechanged.Thesteeperthe lineofthecurve, themorecontrasttherewillbealongthatpartofthetonalscale.Conversely, themoreshallowtheline, the lesscontrast.

08 HISTOGRAMJust likeLevels,Curvesdisplays

ahistogramthatrepresentsthetonalrangeofthe imageasdifferentshadesgroupedtogetherfromdark(0)tolight (255).Themorepixelsofacertainshade, thehigherthepeakonthegraph.

05 AUTOHitAutotoapplyanautomatedtonal

adjustmentthatenhancescontrast. Ifyou’reapplyingCurves intheAdjustmentspanel,holddownAltandclickAutotoaccesstheAutoOptionsbox.

04 CANCEL BUTTONLikemostDialogBoxes,holddownAlt

andthiswill changetoreset.

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01 CHANNELSSelectfrom

thedrop-downtomakechangestoindividualcolourchannels.Makecolourtweakstoshadoworhighlightareasbyadjustingthecurveateitherendofthehistogram.

03 PRESETSChoosefromadrop-downlistofCurves

presetstoquicklyadjusttones.AmongthechoicesareCrossProcessandColourNegativeeffects.Presetscanbeuseful foraquickfixandasastartingpointforfurthertweaks.

THE CREATIVEMANUAL FOR ALLPHOTOSHOP USERS


BEFORE

AFTER

52 PracticalPhotoshop September2011

SHARPENUPYOURACTWeflytheflagforPhotoshop’swiderangeofexcellent image-sharpeningtools

When it comes to creatingpolished, sharp images, it

seems there’smore than a littleconfusion as to the bestwayforward. Schools of thought aredivided between thosewhooptfor achieving it in-camera,whileothers plump for softwarepackages such as Photoshop.Inmost cases, in-camera

sharpening is applied across anentire image to a level selected bythe photographer. This one-size-fits-all approach keeps things

simple, but it’s not always the bestsolution. It can result in edgeswithhigh contrast, such as thehorizonof a landscape looking too bold,while fine foregrounddetails arestill a little soft. Consequently, it’sfar better to apply sharpening at alevel that suits each individualimageusingPhotoshop.Thegrid-like structure of a

camera’s sensor and the presenceof an anti-aliasingfilter over it toreducemoiré patterningmeanthat all digital images need some

formof sharpening, eitherin-camera or post-capture.Sharpeningworks by increasing

the contrast along edges so thatthere is a quicker transition fromlight to dark and the edgesbecomemoredefined. Pushing thelevel of sharpening too far resultsin very highmicro contrastwithhalos appearing around imageelements and the introduction ofartefacts in otherwise smoothareas. Oversharpening often looksworse thannot sharpening at all.

Photoshop CS5offers aselection of sharpeningmodes,but themost useful areUnsharpMask andSmart Sharpen as theyoffer the greatest level of control.Elements users are often best

served by theAdjust Sharpnessoptions (Enhance>AdjustSharpness),which is similar toCS5’s Smart Sharpen feature.TheSharpen tool is also very

useful as it enables sharpening tobe targeted at specific areasusing a brush.

FUNDAMENTALSOur adjusted imagenowhas clearly definedpetals

www.practicalphotoshopmag.com September2011 PracticalPhotoshop 53

How do the Amount, Radiusand Threshold controls help?

Try applying sharpening to the Luminancechannel to avoid colour shifts and artefacts

Found via the drop-downFilter>Sharpening>Unsharp

Mask, the Unsharp Mask (USM)Dialog Box has three slidingcontrols called Amount, Radiusand Threshold.

The Amount slider sets theoverall level of sharpening. Radiusdictates how large an area aroundan edge is sharpened. Overuse ofthe Radius control is a commoncause of oversharpening and it isresponsible for the introduction ofstrong outlines and halos.

The Threshold slider is used tospecify which edges aresharpened. When a large value isused, the sharpening is onlyapplied to high contrast edges,while a low value means that thesharpening is also applied to lowcontrast edges and finer details.

Finding the correct values takesexperimentation, but start with alow Threshold and move theAmount and Radius sliders up anddown until the image looks right.

Required values vary from imageto image, but aim to keep theRadius below 3. An Amount of150-180 is a good starting point.

Sharpening theluminance

UnsharpMask

Apply sharpening at thesize the image is to be used

at. Different levels are requireddepending upon how the imageis to be viewed. An image that isto be printed may need a heaviersharpening treatment thanone viewed on-screen. As someprinters apply sharpening, it’simportant to make a test printor two before making multiplelarge prints for the first time.

SHARPENINGFOR PRINTING

GENIUS TIP!SHARPENING SHARPENING SHARPENING

The Unsharp Mask can determinethe exact extent of thesharpening of your image

Unsharp Mask (USM) hasthree sliders called Amount,Radius and Threshold

You can applysharpening tothe Luminancechannel to avoidcolour shifts andartefacts whenusing USM

Radius sharpening. of level overall dictates how large an area around

responsible for the introduction of

The Unsharp Mask can determine The Unsharp Mask can determine the exact extent of the the exact extent of the

sharpening of your imagesharpening of your image

has (USM) Mask Unsharp has (USM) Mask Unsharp Amount, called sliders three Amount, called sliders three

Threshold and Radius Threshold and Radius

apply can Youto sharpening

Luminance theavoid to channel

and shifts colour artefacts when

using USM




using USM




using USM

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

BEFORE

Using USM can result in colour shifts andartefacts being introduced. Avoid this by only

applying the sharpening to the Luminance channel.Convert the image to Lab Colour mode(Image>Mode>Lab Colour) and then select theLuminance channel in the Channels panel. Convertingto Lab Colour mode results in some loss of imagequality, so it isn’t always desirable. It’s better to applyUSM to a duplicate layer and blend that layer with thebackground using the Luminosity Blend Mode.


THE CREATIVEMANUAL FOR ALLPHOTOSHOP USERS

54 PracticalPhotoshop September2011

Adjust the sharpening that’s applied to thehighlights and shadows separately

Camera Raw makes targeting the right areas for sharpening asimple process – even if you don’t shoot in Raw format

Adjust the sharpening that’s applied to thehighlights and shadows separately

Sharpening controls inAdobe Camera Raw

Smart sharpenSharpening blurredbackgrounds and uniform

skies may introduce artefactsor texture, so it’s advisable tosharpen selectively. This can bedone on a duplicate layer wheremasking or erasing can revealthe unsharpened layer beneath.Alternatively, use the Sharpentool found with the Blur andSmudge tools. With the option toprotect details selected, paint insharpening over important areas.

GENIUS TIP!SELECTIVESHARPENING

Make use of theLens Blur optionto detect edgesand detail

The Mask sliderrestricts where thesharpening effectis applied

Adjust the sharpening that’s applied to the Adjust the sharpening that’s applied to the

Smart sharpenSmart sharpenSmart sharpen

BEFORE

AFTER

Make use of the Lens Blur option

edges detect to

Camera Raw opensautomatically when you

open a Raw file in Photoshop, butto use it with a JPEG, simplyselect the image in Bridge, rightclick with the mouse and selectOpen in Camera Raw.

The sharpening controls arefound under the Details tab, butbefore you set to work, use thedrop-down menu in the bottomleft-hand corner of the screen toset the preview to 100%.

Camera Raw’s sharpeningcontrols are similar to the USMcontrols, with Amount setting thelevel and Radius dictating thewidth of the area along the edgesthat is sharpened. The Detail slideris similar to Threshold in that it isused to control the haloing anddetermine how much emphasis is

given to the edges, but its impactdecreases as its value increases. ADetail setting of 100 is effectivelythe same as a zero Thresholdvalue and vice versa.

Finally, the Mask slider is used torestrict where the sharpening isapplied. Hold down theAlt keywhile making Maskingadjustments to see where isaffected, the black areas will beleft untouched.

Adjusting the Amount and Radius settings inSmart Sharpen has the same impact as when

using USM, but you can choose what type of blur –such as Gaussian, Lens or Movement – to correct usingthe Remove drop-down menu. Gaussian Blur is thegeneral softness that is also addressed by USM, theLens Blur option detects edges and detail and is agood choice for sharpening fine detail. Motion Bluraims to reduce the effects of camera or subjectmovement. After selecting the appropriateAmount, Radius and Remove settings, choose theAdvanced options to control how much sharpening toapply to the shadows and highlights.

BEFORE

AFTER

Practical Photoshop Sampler

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