Digital Camera World » Photoshop effects

Focus Stacking: how to extend depth of field when shooting close up

jmeyer — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:59 +0000

Shooting anything up close requires incredible patience and extreme precision. If your close-up photography isn’t sharp then you’re not only wasting pictures, but you’ve wasted hours of your time. In this in-depth tutorial we’ll show you how to use one of the most amazing Photoshop effects macro and close-up photographers can use: focus stacking.

Below we’ll show you step-by-step how to extend depth of field when shooting close-up by shifting your point of focus in multiple images, which you’ll later stitch together so you can produce images that are sharp throughout the frame.

One of the best things about close-up photography is the wonderful softness that results from working with such a shallow depth of field.

Even at the smallest apertures the plane of focus will stretch to a couple of centimetres at most, and anything outside this range will fall off into beautiful bokeh.

At times, however, this can be a problem –especially if you’d like a completely sharp subject. Stopping down the aperture will increase depth of field, but sometimes this simply isn’t enough to achieve sharpness across the subject from front to back.

The solution: fix the camera to a tripod and shoot several frames, each with a small shift in focus, then use Photoshop to combine the sharp areas to create a single pin-sharp image.

We’ll begin with a series of shots of a flower, captured with tiny incremental shifts in focus. We’ll make global adjustments to all the images at once in Camera Raw, then combine the sharp parts using the Auto-Blend command in Photoshop CS.

Macro subjects usually look best against clean uncluttered backgrounds, but this isn’t always easy to achieve when searching for the best angle.

We’ll neaten up our finished flower by creating a new colour co-ordinated background, then use the Clone tool to remove a few messy areas. Finally, we’ll utilise the High Pass filter for a great sharpening technique that works wonders on edges.

How to create a focus stacking effect: steps 1-2

01 Open in Camera Raw
Copy your start files into a folder on your hard drive, then open Adobe Bridge and go to the folder. Highlight the first image, then hold Shift and click the last one to select them all. Right-click over them and choose Open in Adobe Camera Raw to open the whole batch.

02 Remove the sensor mark
Click Select All at the top left. Now any changes will affect all the images. First let’s deal with the sensor mark on the left. Grab the Spot Removal tool from the Tools palette, set Type to Heal and Opacity to 100%, then drag a small circle over the mark to remove it.

3D Anaglyphs: using Photoshop effects to create a sense of depth

jmeyer — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:00:11 +0000

If you’re looking for creative photography ideas to try and get more from your images, making 3D anaglyphs is a really fun technique to learn. In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple way of using Photoshop effects to create the illusion of depth in your images.

3D graphic effects work by giving each eye a slightly different perspective of a scene, creating the illusion of depth. With 3D anaglyph images, the two perspectives are in different colours (usually red and cyan, as these two colours are chromatically opposite).

This is why classic 3D glasses have different-coloured lenses, as these restrict what each eye sees.

3D films are shot with two lenses side by side, one for each eye, but you can achieve a similar illusion using a single image.

Our before image

Different ‘depth planes’ can be created by dividing the image into separate elements, creating red and blue layers of each, then controlling the amount and direction the red and blue layers are shifted.

Moving the red left and the blue right will make the area appear further away, while red right, blue left will make it appear closer.

It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds, and the results are instantly gratifying. So grab a pair of 3D glasses and let’s get started…

How to make 3D anaglyphs

01 Select the hand
Open original start image, then hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the background layer. Grab the Quick Selection tool and paint over the hand and sleeve on the left to select it (hold Alt to subtract if the tool goes wrong). Click the Refine Edge button and set Smooth 15, Feather 2, Contract/Expand +100.

02 Clone around edges
Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the hand to a new layer. Highlight the middle layer and grab the Clone tool. Repeatedly Alt-click to sample the background, then paint with the tool to create a crude edge that extends the background walls and ceiling so that they overlap the edges of the hand.

03 Make the blue layer
Double-click the layer name and call it Red, then hit Cmd/Ctrl+J and call the copy Blue. With the Blue layer highlighted, go to Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels. Click the Channel dropdown and pick Red, then go to the Output Levels slider. Drag the right-hand point to the left, then hit OK.

04 Make the red layer
Hide the Blue layer and highlight the Red layer. Go to Levels again and this time choose Green from the Channel dropdown. Once again drag the Output slider right point all the way to the left. Next select Channel: Blue and again drag the slider across so your image is completely red.

05 Blend and nudge
Reveal and highlight the Blue layer, then click the Blend Mode dropdown in the Layers Panel and choose Screen. Hit Escape, then grab the Move tool. Press Shift + ► twice to nudge the Blue layer 20px to the right. Highlight the Red layer and press Shift + ◄ twice to nudge it 20px to the left.

06 Add graphics
Reveal and highlight the hand layer, then go to File>Place. Next, we navigated to the ’3D’ logo file and hit Place, then did the same for the png file of the 3D glasses icon. We then used the Move tool to position the graphics and add text.

Finally, put on a pair of 3D glasses and check out the effect!

Family photo ideas: make a striking family portrait from individual faces in profile

jmeyer — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:01:42 +0000

Many photographers struggle for great family photo ideas, but some of the best family portrait photography is that which relies on the old adage that less is more. In this quick and easy tutorial we’ll show you how to make one of our favourite family photo ideas – shooting individual family members in profile and combining them on the computer into one striking family portrait.

At once simple yet instantly recognisable, side-on profiles have been a popular record of a person’s likeness since long before the invention of the camera.

From the silhouetted keepsakes of 18th century lovers, to the royal visage adorning every coin in your pocket, profiled portraits have been ubiquitous for centuries.

One reason for this may be because they show off a person’s unique features in such a clearly defined shape, which also makes for a fascinating family portrait.

Here we’ll show you how to shoot a series of dramatically lit profiles of an entire family – one person at a time – then stitch the individual portraits to create a family photo that not only looks stylish, but also delivers an interesting study of the similarities and differences between each face.

If you’re planning on shooting your own, we’ve got a host of useful tips that will show you how to set up, light and shoot your family in profile.

Once shot, you’ll find a step-by-step guide that shows you exactly how to put your images together in Photoshop. This is much easier than you might think.

All we need to do is use the Lighten Blend Mode so that the lighter parts on each layer show through, then tidy up with a little painting. As the images are mostly black, this makes combining the faces a quick, painless task.

If you prefer to watch, there’s a video among this month’s files that guides you through both the camera skills and Photoshop technique involved in creating an elegant family portrait that will be cherished for years to come.

Family Photo Ideas – step-by-step how to shoot your striking family portrait (1-3)

01 Use a black background
Begin by putting up a black background. Black velvet is best because it’s completely non-reflective. If you don’t have one, you can improvise with some other common material.

It’s crucial that the background remains as dark as possible, so watch out for light  spilling onto it from your flash or lamp. If there is any spillage, reposition the light or place something between the light and background to block the light from reaching it.

02 Set up a light source
You’ll need a strong light source to create your dramatic profiles. We’ve used an Elinchrom home studio flash head here, fitted with a small softbox to diffuse the light.

If you don’t have a flash head, you could use a flashgun fitted with a diffuser as long as you can trigger it wirelessly or via a cable. Alternatively, a strong lamp will work, but you’ll need to increase your camera’s ISO and adjust exposure to allow for weaker light.

03 Position the light
Set up your light source off to one side and slightly behind where your subjects will be. The positioning, height and angle of the light is vital, because the aim is to light the edge of the person’s profile while keeping the rest of the face fairly dark.

Directing the light straight at the person will result in harsh light, while swinging it more in the direction of the camera will ‘feather’ the light and give softer results. Take a few test shots to determine the right angle.

PAGE 1: Family Photo Ideas – step-by-step how to shoot your striking family portrait (1-3)
PAGE 2: Family Photo Ideas – step-by-step how to shoot your striking family portrait (4-6)
PAGE 3: Family Photo Ideas – step-by-step how to combine your images into one portrait (1-4)
PAGE 4: Family Photo Ideas – step-by-step how to combine your images into one portrait (5-8)

Blown highlights: how to rescue blown skies using simple Photoshop effects

jmeyer — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:01:22 +0000

Are blown highlights spoiling your landscape photography? Find out in this tutorial how you can use simple Photoshop effects like a Gradient Fill adjustment layer to get more balanced exposures.

When shooting landscapes, you can overcome the difference in light levels between a bright sky and darker terrain to produce an evenly exposed shot by using a graduated neutral density filter – also called an ND grad filter. If you don’t have one of these, don’t worry – you can reproduce the effect in Photoshop Elements.

The key to an effective ND grad in Photoshop Elements is to use selections, layers and gradients. The gradient will be on a separate layer, so you can easily adjust exposure to restore colours and details that are missing from an over-exposed sky.

In this Photoshop tutorial you’ll learn how to isolate the sky using selection tools, and how to apply a Gradient Fill adjustment layer to this selection. This will help darken the over-exposed sky at the top of the shot while blending it seamlessly with the shot’s correctly exposed clouds lower down.

Our before image

You’ll also learn how to tint the gradient so that it contains the same colours as the clouds. This combination of subtly blended tones and colours will make the edited sky look natural.

As well as tweaking the sky’s colours and tone, we’ll show you how to make selective tonal adjustments to other parts of the shot to bring out texture and detail. We’ll also use layer masks to prevent the lighthouse from being altered by the gradient layer, and gently tweak its mid-tones with the Burn tool to make it look less flat.

How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 1-3

01 Adjust the mid-tones
Open your start image with the blown highlights. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Levels. Drag the grey Midtone input slider right to 0.70. This darkens the photo’s mid-tones, revealing more colour and texture in the over-exposed sky.

02 Select the sky
The sky adjustment works well, but the land is now too dark. We need to restrict the adjustment to the sky. Select the Magic Wand and set the Tolerance to 41. Keep Contiguous ticked. Hold down Shift and click the sky repeatedly until it’s all selected. Don’t worry if you include bits of lighthouse at this stage.

03 Fill the selection
To select the land choose Select>Inverse. Now click the white layer mask and choose Edit>Fill Selection. In the Fill Layer window set the Use drop-down menu to Black and click OK. The sky will remain in its adjusted state while the land gets restored to its original exposure.

PAGE 1: How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 1-3
PAGE 2 How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 4-6
PAGE 3 How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 7-9
PAGE 4: How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 10-12
PAGE 5: How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 13-15
PAGE 6: How to rescue blown highlights in your landscape photography – steps 16-18

Shallow depth of field: how to fake it using Photoshop filters and masks

jmeyer — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:01:27 +0000

In our latest photo editing tutorial we show you how to use a series of simple Photoshop effects to blur your background and create a shallow depth of field effect.

A shallow depth of field is a great way to focus attention on part of a scene by transforming the background into wonderful bokeh, which is why it’s a classic technique for portrait photography.

Normally you’d achieve shallow depth of field with a wide aperture of around f/2.8 or f/4. But aperture isn’t the only factor in shallow depth of field.

Focal length and the subject’s distance from the camera also play a part in giving your images a shallow depth of field.

The longer the lens and the closer the subject, the more of a shallow depth of field effect you will achieve.

Our before image

Conversely, shorter focal lengths and distant focus points result in deeper planes of focus.

Captured at f/4 with an 18mm wide-angle lens, the background in this scene is fairly sharp. We can employ Photoshop’s Gaussian blur filter to fake a shallow depth of field, focusing attention on the figure and blurring distracting details.

By applying different strengths of blur to duplicate layers then restricting the effect with Layer Masks, we can create a fall-off of sharpness either side of our digital focus point.

How to fake shallow depth of field

01 Select the figure
Open your start image. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J four times to make duplicate layers. With the Quick Selection tool, paint over the figure. Use ] and [ to resize the brush. Hold Alt and paint to subtract areas from the selection. Go to Select>Refine Edge. Set Smooth 10, Feather 0.5 and hit OK.

02 Add to the selection
Go to Window> Layers to access the Layers panel. Rename the top layer ‘Sharp’. Grab the Selection Brush tool, set Mode: Mask and pick a soft circular tip. Paint over areas that would be the same distance from the camera as the figure to add them to the selection.

03 Create layer masks
Click the Add Layer Mask icon on the Layers panel to turn the selection into a mask. Highlight the layer below. Go to Filter>Blur> Gaussian Blur. Set Radius 1.5px. Hit OK. Name the layer ‘blur 1.5px’, then hold Alt and click the Add Layer Mask icon to add a full black mask.

04 Reveal the blur
Grab the Brush tool and set colour to white. With the layer mask thumbnail on ‘blur 1.5px’ highlighted, paint over the foreground and tree. Highlight the layer below, rename it ‘blur 3px’, apply the Gaussian Blur filter at that value, then Alt-click the Add Layer Mask icon again.

05 Apply stronger blur
Paint with white to reveal the stronger blur on the ‘blur 3px’ layer in the grass and scene behind the tree. Next highlight the layer below. Rename it ‘blur 6px’ then apply the Gaussian Blur filter at that strength to make the trees in the background appear more out of focus.

06 Boost the tones
Finally, use Adjustment Layers to boost the tones. Highlight the top layer, click the Create Adjustment Layer icon on the Layers panel and choose Brightness/Contrast. Set Brightness 6, Contrast 12. Next add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and set Saturation +7.

PHOTOSHOP CS BLUR GALLERY
While the blur filters available in Photoshop Elements can give realistic results, Photoshop CS6 offers more options. In particular, the new Blur Gallery has three filters that are designed to mimic shallow focus and tilt-shift effects, with greater control over the look of the digital bokeh. The new filters make it much easier to create the fall-off of sharpness achieved here with different strengths of blur.

34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try

jmeyer — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:01:05 +0000

Tired of using the same tools in your photo editing? We’ve rounded up the 34 best Photoshop effects you can use with minimal effort to give new life to your images.

One of Photoshop’s strengths is that many common photo editing tasks can be achieved in several ways. Which Photoshop effects you choose may depend on the time you have, the look you want, or more likely, whichever you’re most familiar with.

Our aim in this tutorial is to provide you with 34 killer tips, tricks and need-to-know Photoshop effects that you can use to make the most of your photos.

So the next time you’re faced with a photo editing task that you’re unsure how to solve, don’t just reach for the first tool you can think of that could possibly do the job, or go to the trouble of flicking through back issues for a particular tutorial, simply refer to this article and take your pick!

Whether it’s retouching portraits, adding textures or making a multiple exposure effect, you’ll find all the answers right here!

Killer Photoshop effects 1-5

Best Photoshop Effects: 01 Camera profiles in Adobe Camera Raw
The colours and contrast of images opened in Adobe Camera Raw can sometimes look subdued compared with JPEGs, which are processed in-camera.

The fact is that Adobe’s generic conversion profile is quite conservative – but it’s possible to get much closer to the camera’s own rendition using the Camera Calibration tab. This contains a Camera Profile menu.

Adobe Standard is the default option, but you can also select alternatives such as Camera Standard, Camera Landscape or Camera Vivid. These are a much closer match to the camera’s own Picture Styles (Canon) or Picture Controls (Nikon).

Best Photoshop Effects: 02 High Pass filter sharpening
High Pass sharpening works on a similar principle to Photoshop’s regular Unsharp Mask or Smart Sharpen tools, increasing the contrast around object edges, but in a different and highly controllable way. First, duplicate the image layer, then use the Filter>Other>High Pass filter.

Choose a small Radius, for example, 2 pixels, for sharpening, or a large Radius, for example, 30 pixels, for a local contrast boost.

Desaturate this High Pass layer and set the Blend Mode to Overlay. To reduce the sharpening effect, reduce the layer’s Opacity. To increase it, apply a Levels adjustment to the High Pass layer to increase the contrast.

Best Photoshop Effects: 03 Blitz zits and wrinkles with  the Spot Healing Brush tool
It can take a long time to clone out spots and blemishes in portrait shots. The regular Clone Stamp tool can do a good job, but it takes time and practice.

Instead, use the Spot Healing Brush tool – and check the Content-Aware button on the Options Bar.

You won’t need to choose a clone source, since Photoshop will automatically select surrounding pixels for the repair – just set a brush size slightly larger than the blemish and dab it out.

The Content-Aware technology is uncannily good at preserving the shapes and objects in the areas you’re repairing.

Best Photoshop Effects: 04 Perfect tricky selections with the Refine Edge tool
You can’t always get selections right first time, especially with tricky edges such as with human hair. So click the Refine Edge button in the Options Bar.

The Refine Edge Panel enables you to smooth, feather or move the selection edges, but the Edge Detection tool is the important one.

Set a Radius value roughly equivalent to the width of the ‘ambiguous’ area around the edge of your subject, and paint along the edge to perfect the selection.

At the top, choose a different background from the View drop-down menu and check the Show Radius box to help judge the effect.

Best Photoshop Effects: 05 Smooth skin using the Adjustment Brush in Adobe Camera Raw
The Clarity slider in Adobe Camera Raw is mostly used to increased local contrast and make objects and outlines stand out more clearly.

It’s like sharpening applied over a much wider radius, and unlike regular contrast adjustments, it doesn’t affect the overall contrast, so you can use it on images that already have a full tonal scale without the risk of clipping.

The Clarity slider operates around a zero point in the centre, so you can apply negative adjustments as well as positive ones. And if you apply negative clarity, you get a localised smoothing effect that works wonders on skin.

To ensure the slider doesn’t affect other detailed areas such as hair, use the Adjustment Brush to select only the areas of skin you would like to smooth.

PAGE 1: Killer Photoshop effects 1-5
PAGE 2: Killer Photoshop effects 6-10
PAGE 3: Killer Photoshop effects 11-15
PAGE 4: Killer Photoshop effects 16-20
PAGE 5: Killer Photoshop effects 21-25
PAGE 6: Killer Photoshop effects 26-30
PAGE 7: Killer Photoshop effects 31-34

Photoshop Curves Tool: 6 techniques every photographer must know

jmeyer — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:39:24 +0000

The Photoshop Curves tool is one of the most powerful commands you have in the digital darkroom. But it can be intimidating to some. Here are 6 Photoshop Curves techniques every photographer should incorporate into their workflow.

The Photoshop Curves command is your most powerful tool for adjusting tones to brighten, darken, add contrast and shift colours, yet many users choose to avoid it.

The problem is, despite being the most effective, it’s also one of the most difficult commands to get to grips with. This may be why Adobe has never included it in the more beginner-friendly Photoshop Elements.

As Elements gets better and better with every new release, the lack of a full Curves command remains one of the few big reasons not to plump for the more wallet-friendly version of Photoshop.

Beginners need not fear. After you’ve spent a little time experimenting, Curves quickly becomes the go-to tool for many tonal tweaks. It’s often the first edit you make on an image.

And as well as being one of the most powerful tools Photoshop has on offer, it’s one of the most versatile.

Whether you want to lighten a dark scene, boost contrast and colour, check for clipped pixels or make a variety of colour shifts, Curves is the tool for the job.

So, read on for six top tips to help you master the best tonal tool Photoshop has to offer.

Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques: 01 Curves Adjustment Layer

Curves is best applied as an Adjustment Layer. Go to the Layers Panel, click the Create Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom and choose Curves.

Now your original image remains untouched.

Whatever settings you apply are editable by double-clicking the layer thumbnail, and you can take advantage of all the options working with layers allows, such as Masks, Blend Modes and Opacity.

PAGE 1: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 01 Curves Adjustment Layer
PAGE 2: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 02 The Curve line
PAGE 3: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 03 Set white and black points
PAGE 4: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 04 The amazing S-curve
PAGE 5: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 05 Making selective adjustments
PAGE 6: Essential Photoshop Curves Techniques – 06 Tweaking colour channels
PAGE 7: Inside the Photoshop Curves interface

Photoshop Effects: using Layers to rescue exposure

jmeyer — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:36:35 +0000

Find out how to rescue bad exposures with subtle Photoshop effects by using Layers to process colours and tones in your photos.

Photoshop layers are one of the most fundamental image-editing features in Photoshop Elements’ tool set (which makes it hard to believe that they were unavailable in the earliest versions of the package!).

In this tutorial, we’ll focus on how layers enable you to process a photo’s colours and tones to overcome exposure problems, create more impact and draw the eye to specific subjects in the shot.

You’ll learn how layers and Adjustment Layers give you the freedom to experiment with different looks. Layers are non-destructive, which means you’ll always have access to your unaltered image.

We’ll also show you how to apply selection marquees and brush tools to Layer Masks, so that only certain areas in the image will become altered.

Our before image

Thanks to layers you can take total control over the colour and tonal changes in any part of your shot, and fine-tune these changes with ease.

When shooting this project’s start image we were pleased to capture the pigeon flying on the left as the girl walked on the right, because it gave balance to our composition.

However, there are plenty of problems with colour and exposure.  By metering for the shaded foreground we have over-exposed the sun-lit cathedral and sky.

We’ll show you how to make selective exposure adjustments using layers and masks, and restore missing background detail.

We’ll also selectively warm up the cathedral’s colour temperature while adding a blue-green hue to the sky so that it complements the cooler colours of the bridge.

Using Layers to process colour and tones (Steps 1-6)

01 Arrange your workspace
Open Photoshop Elements. Go to File>Open and browse to your start image. Click Open. In Elements 11, there’s a More icon bottom right. Click on its triangular fly-out icon and choose Custom Workspace. Drag the Layers palette out of the Panel Bin so it floats. Go to Window and untick Panel Bin.

02 Add an Adjustment Layer
We won’t edit the Background image layer directly; we’ll alter its colours and tones using Adjustment Layers. In the main menu bar, go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels. Click OK. A Levels 1 thumbnail will appear above our Background image layer. A floating Levels panel will also appear.

03 Adjust the contrast
In the Levels panel, drag the black shadow slider to 35. This darkens the shadows on the image layer below. Drag the grey slider right to 0.60 to darken the midtones. This gives the over-exposed cathedral more contrast, and boosts its colours. However, it also plunges the foreground into darkness.

04 Paint on the mask
To protect the bridge from being darkened, grab the Brush tool. Click on the Brush preset picker and choose a soft round brush, size 300. Set the Tools palette’s foreground colour to black. Click on Levels 1’s white mask. Spray on the glass to restore correctly exposed tones. Leave the girl’s face as a silhouette.

05 Try cross-processing
In the Levels Adjustment Layer, set the Channel drop-down menu to Red. Drag the black shadow slider right to 50. This darkens the reds in the shot, adding a cross-processed style blue-green hue to the sky. Click the Levels 1 layer’s eye icon to see a before-and-after version of the adjusted image.

06 Darken the sky
Click on the Create New Adjustment layer icon in the Layers palette and choose Gradient. A Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer will appear. In the Gradient Fill window, click Reverse so the gradient starts at the top of the frame. Click and drag the mouse upwards to push the gradient higher in the frame.

PAGE 1: Using Layers to process colour and tones (Steps 1-6)
PAGE 2: Using Layers to process colour and tones (Steps 7-12)
PAGE 3: Extra layer tools in Photoshop CS6

How to create mist: Photoshop effects for atmospheric landscapes

jmeyer — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:34:36 +0000

Find out how to transform your sunny scenes into atmospheric landscapes by using simple tonal tweaks and other Photoshop effects to create mist in any scene.

There’s always something to complain about when it comes to the weather. If it’s raining we want it to be sunny, and when it’s sunny we moan it’s too hot! While we may not be able to change the weather outside, these grumbles can inspire a great Photoshop project.

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to transform a warm sunny scene into a moody, misty landscape. To start you’ll need to cool down the tones and selectively tweak the colour saturation to replace the summer hues with a cooler colour palette.

This is best done with a combination of Adjustment Layers, which gives you ultimate control over the image’s tones.

Once the image is properly toned we’ll add mist. Rather than slap on a few filters and effects, we’ll build up the mist gradually using layers and masks to give it depth.

The key is to make the mist look random, and shape it to follow the perspective of the scene. We can achieve randomness with the Clouds filter – which fills a layer with jumbled clouds – and then blend the effect effortlessly with the image using the Screen Blending Mode.

Our before shot

Real mist would naturally appear thicker as it recedes into the distance along the waterline. We can use the Transform command to make our digital mist follow a similar perspective.

We’ll also use the Brush and Smudge tools to create a few subtle swirls that rise upwards from the water.

Step by step how to create mist in Photoshop, 1-9

01 Adjust the contrast
Open your start image in Photoshop, then go to Window>Layers. Click Create Adjustment Layer and choose Curves. Click halfway up the diagonal Curves line to place an anchor point, then drag a second point up in the lower-left half to make an inverted S shape.

02 Lower the blues
Click on Create Adjustment Layer and choose Colour Balance. By default the settings affect the Midtones, but you can shift colours in the highlights and shadows. Go to the drop-down menu and choose Highlights, then drag the Yellow/Blue slider back to -65.

03 Reduce saturation
Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Target and adjust different colours by selecting them from the Master drop-down, or click on the Hand and drag left or right over colours. Select Greens and set Saturation to -80, then Cyans and set Saturation to -80.

04 Add some grey
Add a second Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, setting Master Saturation to -31. Click the Master drop-down and select Blues. Set Saturation to -73 and Lightness to +35. Choose Greens and set Saturation  to -64, then choose Yellows and set Saturation to -59.

05 Remove the clouds
Click on the Background Layer, then go to Layer> Duplicate Layer to copy it. Grab the Spot Healing Brush, then zoom in closer to the clouds. Ensure Sample All Layers is unchecked, then use the Spot Healing Brush to paint over and remove the clouds.

06 Clone to tidy
If the Spot Healing Brush tool has left some rough patches, grab the Clone tool and set Opacity to 20%. Hold Alt and click to sample from a clean area of sky, then clone over the patches to blend tones. Set the Opacity of the layer to 74% for a hint of original clouds.

07 Whiten the sky
Create a layer called Gradient. Grab the Gradient tool and choose the Linear Gradient Style. Click on the Gradient Picker and select Foreground to Transparent. Hit D then X to set the colour to white. Hold Shift and drag a line as above. Set Opacity to 43%.

08 Darken the hills
Hold Alt and click Create New Layer. In the New Layer box choose Mode: Overlay, then check ‘Fill with Overlay-neutral colour’. Hit OK. Grab the Burn tool and set Range to Midtones and Exposure to 20%. Paint with the tool to burn (darken) the land on the right.

09 Apply a Clouds filter
Highlight the top layer, then click Create New Layer and name the layer Mist. Hit D to reset the colours, then go to Filter>Render Clouds to fill the layer with random clouds. Click the Blending Mode drop-down and choose Screen, so only the lighter tones appear.

PAGE 1: Step by step how to create mist in Photoshop, 1-9
PAGE 2: Step by step how to create mist in Photoshop, 10-18

DIY Photography Hacks: how to make Photoshop brushes from your own photos

jmeyer — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 01:00:50 +0000

In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post we show you how to make custom Photoshop brushes from your own photographs to help give dull backgrounds a patterned finish.

Portraits are often taken with a plain background because you want your model to be the main focal point of the image – and a fussy backdrop can detract from this.

However, plain backgrounds can be more of a curse than a blessing. Getting the wrong colour can result in an image that is clashing and jarring or, conversely, a shot that is flat and dull.

In our photo, the empty backdrop makes the image look quite bland. It doesn’t add anything to the subject, it doesn’t give a sense of location, and the colour is too close to the skin tone.

However, this can be lifted with a subtly patterned background using custom brushes. In this DIY Photoshop tutorial, we’ll convert our portrait to black and white and learn how to get perfect greyscale tones.

We’ll transform two images into brush tips and print them on the background in the style of patterned wallpaper.

Finally, we’ll make the pattern look more realistic by using the Eraser tool to emphasise the sense of overlap.

Step by step how to make your own DIY Photoshop brushes

01 Convert to mono
Open your start image and press Ctrl+J to create a copy of the original photo. Right-click on the layer, select Rename Layer, type in the word ‘Mono’ and click OK. Next, go to Enhance>ConvertToBlackAndWhite. Select Scenic Landscapes from the style list, then move the Blue slider to +16 and the Contrast slider to +10.

02 Prepare your photos
Open the first of the images you’d like to make into a brush pattern and go to Enhance>AdjustLighting>Levels. Under the Input Levels histogram, move the Black slider to 40, Grey slider to 1.10 and White slider to 210. Open any other images you’d like to make into a brush and use the same slider settings as above. Although the photos look very contrasty and blown-out, this is exactly what’s required to create custom Photoshop brush tips.

03 Create your brushes
Beginning with our first image of the key, we drew around the key, close to the edges, with the Rectangular Marquee tool. To do this, go to Edit>DefineBrushFromSelection and type ‘Key1’ when prompted. We repeated the process for our second key but named it ‘Key2’. Then we switched to the model photo, clicked on the ‘Mono’ layer and pressed Ctrl+J to copy it. Rename this layer ‘Brush’. Select the Brush tool, click on the Brush Preset menu and your newly created brush tips will be at the bottom of the list.

04 Do the DIY
Here we selected ‘Key1’ from the Brush menu. Change the Size to 600 pixels and the Opacity to 60%. With your new brush tip at the ready, start clicking on the new layer, printing the key pattern evenly over the background. We did the same with ‘Key2’, but changed the size to 300 pixels and printed it between the gaps of ‘Key1’. Select the Eraser tool and with a size of around 200 pixels and Opacity of 100%, remove any of the brushes that extend into the model.