The creation of “A Life Of Aquatic Sounds”

In this tutorial I will show you how I created “A Life Of Aquatic Sounds”. We will realize it using a variety of blending mode tricks, photo filters and other useful Photoshop techniques. At the end of this process we will have a beautiful photo manipulation, realized in a short  time and a very easily way.

Preview:

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Step 1

In this step we will cover the beginning of our manipulation, simple document creation and placement of the base stock image as well as the hue change.
To start off the piece, we will need to create a new document and grab our base stock. So, firstly  create a new document at 1600×2400 pixels. Once created the document, we need to grab  the image of the bottle with the glass. Even though our first stock is from Flickr, we are able to use it since it falls under the Creative Commons license.
Once you have your stock, go ahead and place it into your document as I have done below. This way the border is no longer visible.

We will change the hue of the liquid from red to blue. To do this press CTRL+U on your keyboard and set your screen up as mine is in the screenshot below:

Our image now looks like the this one:

Step 2

In step two, we will drop our background in, and use a few simple blending modes and techniques to simplify the isolation process so it takes no time at all.
To start off we will need to grab our next stock, a mexican beach.

Once you have the stock, paste it into your document and free transform (CTRL+T) it. The main idea here is to cover the entire canvas with the image.
Then we need to apply the Gaussian blur filter (Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur). Enter a radius around 10px.

Our composition should now look like this one:

Next we need to move this layer below the bottle one. Once done that change, set the blending mode on the bottle layer to multiply and leave it at 100% opacity.

Now it looks much better! But, if you closely look at the bottom left hand corner, you can see that the floor is not 100% opaque! It’s showing pieces of the background, which is something we do not want.

To fix this we need to create a new layer. Place it between the blurred background and the bottle+glass layer. Grab the Brush tool and set it up as I have done in the screenshot below:

Set the foreground color to white and paint over the floor (on your new layer). You will see that where you paint, the bottle layer becomes opaque!
Go ahead and fill up the entire wooden floor.

We could leave the isolation as it is, or we can go ahead and create a new layer to clean up the insides of the glass and bottle.

I decided to clean up the isolation a step more. If you want to do the same, create another layer and set the opacity somewhere between 20-35%. Then use the brush tool as we made before and just fill up the bottle and glass.
Once done this (if you chose to) we can finish up this step by adding a little bit more contrast to the entire image. Duplicate your bottle layer (right click the layer and select “duplicate”) and then desaturate the image (CTRL+SHIFT+U on your keyboard).

Set the blending mode to overlay and reduce opacity to around 30% or contrast will be too strong.

Step 3

Now we can move on to coloring. In this step we will enrich our manipulation by creating a few color layers that will help to better blend the background and bottle layers.
So to start off this step we need to create a new layer, a photo filter layer to be exact. To create a photo filter layer select the Layer tab>Adjustment layer>Photo filter layer. Then set up your filter as mine:

Switch the layer blend mode to “soft light” and reduce the opacity to 25-30%, I chose 28% but it’s up to you.
Here is how my image looks now:

We can continue on by creating another layer. On this layer use whatever brush you like and just doodle all over the canvas. Any brush will work fine for this, we will blur the layer so it doesn’t really matter the way you doodle.

Next apply a Gaussian blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 200px. Once done this, simple change the blending mode to overlay and set the opacity to 50%.

Step 4

It’s time to start the real photo manipulation;-) Download this photo of a dune.

Once pasted your sand in, remove the background. You can use the technique you prefer. I used the pen tool.

Now we scale it down so it nicely fits the bottle. This layer – as all the layers to come – will be underneath the photo filter layer and above the bottle. If will be necessary, use the Smudge tool to modify the send dimensions so it will perfectly match the ones of the bottle. I had to do this because I sized the sand down to much, but looking back I think it helped the over all appeal. Finally duplicate the layer and set it to overlay.

Now select the sand (ctrl+click on the layer thumbnail). Next go back to your bottle (with the selection still active) and copy the selection of the bottle. Paste the selection into a new layer (ctrl+J), drag it above the sand layer and set it to overlay.

We can leave it as it is, but I think it’s not quite blue. So we will create a new photo filter layer just as before, but this time leave the opacity at 100% and set the blending mode to normal.

Just repeat this process on your glass using this second image of a desert dune

Step 5

We can start including other stocks images into the composition. To start off this step we will paste in a jumping man:

As with our previous stock, isolate the man using whatever method you prefer.

Now we can drop him into the bottle. Scale him down to a size you like, then you need to apply the same technique used with the sand in our previous step, so the man will look as if he’s inside the bottle.

Step 6

Let’s paste in a fish. To start off this step we need the image of a tropical fish. Isolate it from the background and paste it into the canvas. Re-apply the usual technique to put the fish inside the bottle.

Now we can put in a jelly fish!

We need to adjust the image: let’s start desaturating the jelly fish by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+U on your keyboard. Then press CTRL+L on your keyboard and set your level editor up as mine:

Once you have done this our image should look like the screenshot below, but if you still see floating particles, just increase levels values or erase these out with the Eraser Tool.

Press CTRL+U on your keyboard to open the hue/saturation window and use the following settings:

Here is the result of our efforts:

Now just set your layer on screen and place it wherever you prefer.

Now just continue adding more details! Simply paste in all the fishes and jellyfishes you like! You can find lots of free images surfing through sites like stock.xchng, DeviantArt or Morguefile.

Step 7

Step seven is an extension of the previous step. Take in mind that every element of the composition need to be modified in according with its colors and dimensions. If you use duplicated layers set on overlay to increase the contrast of fishes and other details, try experimenting with layers opacity until you obtain satisfactory results.
Here is my outcome after added several details:

Step 8

It’s time to add the last details. Download the image of a gondolier.

Isolate and place him on the wave of the glass. Since he’s not in the water, we do not need to apply the effects used with prior images.

Next we can plaste in a star fish.

Extract the star fish and place it on top of the glass. Again since there is no water in that area, no effects need to be applied.

Ok guys, there’s no need to continue. At this point you know how to include other marine elements and how to modify them so that they look inside the bottle/glass. I added in some seagulls, a ladybug, a treasure and other nice things.

Finished!

Well that’s all for my tutorial! To finish off my piece I sized the image down, sharpened it and applied some slight color adjustments.
I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and learned a thing or two! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

Undress a Giraffe in Photoshop

Have you ever wanted to know what a Giraffe looks like without its spots? If so, this tutorial is for you, you pervert! Today, we will demonstrate how to undress a giraffe by removing its spots. We will then show how to turn its spots into an outfit that will be draped over an ironing board. Pretty cool! Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

• Ironing Board
• Giraffe

Step 1

Let’s start by creating a new document in Adobe Photoshop. The size of document is 2200×3200 pixels at 72 px/inch of resolution. Start by filling the background with any color (white for example).

Step 2

First of all let’s create a simple and plain background. You may crate your own more interesting and multi-layered background - old style wallpapers or may be savanna landscape.
We will use gradients and filters. Unlock the "Background" - right click on background thumbnail and choose "Layer from background", click "Add a layer style" small icon in the bottom part of the Layers Palette. Apply "Color Overlay" and "Gradient Overlay" styles. Use setting and colors just like on the screen shots below.

Step 3

Create a new empty layer above background layer - click "Create a new layer" icon . Choose huge soft, light color Brush Tool and draw a spot in the central part of the document.

Step 4

Create a new layer above light spot layer. Go to Menu > Filter > Render > Clouds.
Choose Filters menu again and find Blur filter, apply Motion Blur and Gaussian Blur filters to clouds layer one by one. Add Layer Mask to blurred layer, click "Add Layer Mask" icon. Make Layer Mask active and fill it with black and white Reflected Gradient in the bottom part of the document.

Step 5

In order to create Vignette effect, choose Menu > Filter > Distort > Lens Correction > play with Vignette Amount & Midpoint settings.

Step 6

Merge all created layers. Make lighter the right part of our background, the light source will be directed from right. Make active Quick Mask Mode , choose Linear "black and white" Gradient Tool. Fill layer with gradient from left to right edge of the document. The left side should become pink. Make Quick Mask inactive (click icon).

Step 7

You will have selected area like on the screen shot. Play with Levels settings. Menu > Image > Adjustments Levels, move gray marker left. You can add small noise effect, to the created background layer. Go to Menu > Filter > Noise > Add Noise > 4; Uniform.

Step 8

Insert giraffe image. Menu > File > Place - choose giraffe .jpg file. In order to separate giraffe silhouette from background, choose Polygonal Lasso Tool. You may use other methods, but this one is pretty easy and convenient. Click in the giraffe silhouette area to set the starting point. Continue clicking to set endpoints for subsequent segments. To close the selection border click over the starting point.

Step 9

Click Refine Edge to improve the quality of a selection’s edges.

Step 10

Use following Refine Edge settings. Click "Ok" and inverse selection: Menu > Select > Inverse. Erase or clear selected background area (Menu > Edit > Clear).

Step 11

In order to retouch and improve color balance of the Giraffe image choose Shadows /Highlights from Image > Adjustments menu. Apply following settings:

Step 12

Add the new adjustments layers above Giraffe layer- "Levels", "Color Balance", "Selective Color Options", click icon in the bottom menu of the Layers Palette. Select all adjustments layers (make them active), right click > choose "Create Clipping Mask". Apply setting for each adjustment layer like on the examples below. Fill "Selective Color" and "Levels" Layers Masks with linear "black and white" gradient.

Step 13

Load selection for white stripes with Magic Wand Tool. It is not necessary to load selection for all white spots at once, you may do this work by portions. Go to Menu > Select > Modify > Expand (expand by 1px).

Step 14

Duplicate the retouched Giraffe layer and fill selected stripes with brown color in the duplicated layer, name it "Clean skin layer". The original retouched Giraffe layer will be needed in the future steps, be sure that the original layer is below duplicate). Use 0% hardness brush and hold down the "Alt" key to activate Eyedropper Tool and find right color next to each stripe.

Step 15

You should have something like this and you may fill out white areas with color step by step. Brown color stripes will be helpful to create more accurate result.

Step 16

To remove stripes traces, use Patch Tool. Drag the selection border to the clean and textured skin area. When you release the mouse button, the trace of the selected area is patched with the sampled pixels. Repeat these actions to mask all stripe traces.

Step 17

You will have giraffe body without spots.

Step 18

Correct the "Clean skin" layer edges with smooth Eraser Tool to create blending effect between original (spotty) bottom layer and "Clean skin" layer.

Step 19

Mask the small defects with Patch Tool and Spot Healing Brush Tool. Choose a brush size in the options bar. A brush that is slightly larger than the area you want to fix works best so that you can cover the entire area with one click.

Step 20

Now we can change skin color and levels balance. Add "Gradient Map", "Levels" and "Black and White" adjustment layers and create Clipping Mask for "Clean skin" layer. Apply following settings.

Step 21

Insert Ironing Board image, it doesn't require any changes and adjustments.

Step 22

Return to the retouched Giraffe layer and duplicate it once again. We will make Giraffe's jacket using a new copy. Erase head and legs area.

Step 23

This is a shape for our future jacket.

Step 24

Correct the shape of the spotty jacket using Warp Transformation. Make a shape flatter. Go to Edit > Transform >Warp.

Step 25

Liquify filter from Filters menu will help you to create flat shape effect. Use large Forward Warp Tool to correct large areas and smaller Warp Tool size to work with parts such as legs or skin wrinkles.

Step 26

Now we have flatter shape for the jacket.

Step 27

Apply Free transformation to jacket shape, make it smaller and little bit stretched by horizontal.

Step 28

Select top part (above ironing board bottom edge) of the spotty jacket, cut out this part and paste it into a new layer. Stretch it by vertical using Free Transformation like on the example below.

Step 29

Apply Perspective Transformation to the top edge, Menu > Edit > Transform > Perspective.

Step 30

Keep active modified top part of jacket layer. Cut out top part again (above ironing board top edge), just leave stripe above trouser-legs ("Layer 20" on the screen shot below). Stretch top part by vertical again.

Step 31

Apply Perspective transformation.

Step 32

Make active top layer of the jacket layers. Erase iron and area above ironing board. Try to imitate skin wrinkles shape.

Step 33

Draw white line with Line Tool in a new layer above giraffe jacket, use weight around 13 px and apply Gaussian Blur Filter (R=10px).

Step 34

Change Blending Mode for this layer on "Overlay".

Step 35

Copy neck area from the original retouched Giraffe layer. Paste it into a new layer below ironing board layer. Apply flip Vertical transformation to this shape and Gradient Overlay layer style effect with settings like on the screen shot below.

Step 36

The final part of our work is creating the drop shadow effect for Giraffe and Ironing board. Load selection for Giraffe shape (Command/Ctrl + click Giraffe layer thumbnail). Create a new layer below of the all visible giraffe layers. Fill selection with any color.

Step 37

Apply Distort transformation to created shape. Edit > Transform > Distort. Move top edge and left bottom corner left and down. Try to combine drop shadow and legs in same points. Correct central legs shadow with Eraser Tool.

Step 38

This is result of our transformation.

Step 39

Set Fill parameter 0% and Opacity around 20% for the shadow layer. Apply Gradient Overlay layer style effect. Make active Quick mask Mode, fill layer with linear gradient like on the example below.

Step 40

Click Quick Mask icon and apply Gaussian Blur to the selected area of the shadow layer.

Step 41

Duplicate shadow layer and apply Gaussian Blur filter with radius = 50 px and change Opacity to 70-75%.

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Step 42

Create shadow effect for the ironing board using the same method. Load selection for ironing board and jacket, Apply Fill = 0%, Gradient Overlay effect with the same parameters. Apply Blurring 10 px and duplicate shadow layer with Opacity 75% and More Blurring.

Final Image

In today’s tutorial I will show you how to create a space photo manipulation by mixing stars and different Photoshop techniques. Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Start working by opening in Adobe Photoshop CS4 a space photo like this one:

Find a stock photo with a model represented on it, I used this photo from deviantart. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract and insert the image on a new layer in our main document.

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Glow

We’ve got the next inner glow effect around girl:

Click now on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add layer mask icon and choose after that the Soft Round brush of black color (Opacity 15%)

Using Soft Round brush paint on the mask to hide the girl’s legs as shown:

Create a new layer and select for it a Soft Round brush of yellow color (Opacity 10%) to paint the layer:

Set Blending mode for this layer to Saturation

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between the layers of the yellow brush and the layer containing the girl (on the Layers panel) to create a clipping mask

Now we have the content of the layer containing the yellow color only visible within the content of the layer containing the girl

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush with #0000FF color (Opacity20%).

Paint the background as shown and place this layer under the layer with the girl on it:

On the next new layer we’ll apply the above used brush to continue painting the background with the color #00B4F6 (Opacity20%). This layer will be situated under the girl’s layer:

Create a new layer and apply here the Soft Round brush to paint the bottom part of the picture with violet color (Opacity 20%)

Set the Blending mode to Screen for this layer

Use again the Soft Round brush and paint with blue color on background. This layer will be situated under the layer containing the girl:

Next there will be used again the soft brush with green color this time and Opacity – 20%.

Create a new layer and apply on it the Soft Round brush to paint on the background as shown.

The brush’s color is yellow (Opacity 15%). Place this layer under the girl’s layer.

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay

On the next new layer we’ll use the Soft Round brush of white color (Opacity 20%) to represent several lines, like those from below. This layer needs to be situated under the girl’s layer:

Set the Blending mode to Overlay for this layer

Let’s create the next new layer and apply on it the same soft brush of white color (Opacity 15%) to make lighter the girl’s body. This layer needs to be placed lower than the girl’s layer:

Next we’ll make the girl’s arm look more illuminated. In this case we’ll create a new layer and use here the Soft Round brush

Paint firstly with red color (Opacity 15%) the necessary element and then use the color #FDCD9E

- See more at: http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/30970316/1/how-to-create-a-space-girl-photo-manipulation#sthash.onrXknuw.dpuf

In today’s tutorial I will show you how to create a space photo manipulation by mixing stars and different Photoshop techniques. Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Start working by opening in Adobe Photoshop CS4 a space photo like this one:

Find a stock photo with a model represented on it, I used this photo from deviantart. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract and insert the image on a new layer in our main document.

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Glow

We’ve got the next inner glow effect around girl:

Click now on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add layer mask icon and choose after that the Soft Round brush of black color (Opacity 15%)

Using Soft Round brush paint on the mask to hide the girl’s legs as shown:

Create a new layer and select for it a Soft Round brush of yellow color (Opacity 10%) to paint the layer:

Set Blending mode for this layer to Saturation

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between the layers of the yellow brush and the layer containing the girl (on the Layers panel) to create a clipping mask

Now we have the content of the layer containing the yellow color only visible within the content of the layer containing the girl

Create a new layer and select the Soft Round brush with #0000FF color (Opacity20%).

Paint the background as shown and place this layer under the layer with the girl on it:

On the next new layer we’ll apply the above used brush to continue painting the background with the color #00B4F6 (Opacity20%). This layer will be situated under the girl’s layer:

Create a new layer and apply here the Soft Round brush to paint the bottom part of the picture with violet color (Opacity 20%)

Set the Blending mode to Screen for this layer

Use again the Soft Round brush and paint with blue color on background. This layer will be situated under the layer containing the girl:

Next there will be used again the soft brush with green color this time and Opacity – 20%.

Create a new layer and apply on it the Soft Round brush to paint on the background as shown.

The brush’s color is yellow (Opacity 15%). Place this layer under the girl’s layer.

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay

On the next new layer we’ll use the Soft Round brush of white color (Opacity 20%) to represent several lines, like those from below. This layer needs to be situated under the girl’s layer:

Set the Blending mode to Overlay for this layer

Let’s create the next new layer and apply on it the same soft brush of white color (Opacity 15%) to make lighter the girl’s body. This layer needs to be placed lower than the girl’s layer:

Next we’ll make the girl’s arm look more illuminated. In this case we’ll create a new layer and use here the Soft Round brush

Paint firstly with red color (Opacity 15%) the necessary element and then use the color #FDCD9E

- See more at: http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/30970316/1/how-to-create-a-space-girl-photo-manipulation#sthash.onrXknuw.dpuf